U.N. Mission Details Surge in Killings, Arbitrary Detentions, and Public Floggings in Afghanistan

A new United Nations report paints a stark picture of deteriorating human rights conditions across Afghanistan in the final months of 2025, documenting a pattern of killings, arbitrary arrests, and a return to severe public punishments.

The quarterly report from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), covering October to December 2025, details ongoing civilian protection crises. Among the most grave findings is the killing of at least 14 former members of the Afghan national security forces. The report notes with particular alarm that several of these individuals were former officials who had been forcibly returned from neighboring countries, only to face extrajudicial killing or unlawful detention upon arrival.

Beyond these targeted killings, UNAMA recorded 28 cases of arbitrary detention and 7 instances of torture or mistreatment. The climate of fear extends deeply into public and digital life. Media freedoms eroded further as bans on broadcasting images of living beings were imposed or tightened in multiple provinces, disrupting both state and private television operations.

Simultaneously, a crackdown on digital expression intensified. Authorities carried out growing numbers of arrests and issued threats against social media users. Widespread internet disruptions and online censorship are crippling businesses, with a notably severe impact on women-led enterprises struggling to operate in an already constrained economy.

The report also underscores a deliberate revival of harsh public spectacles as judicial punishment. UNAMA verified that 287 individuals, including women and minors, were subjected to public flogging. Furthermore, two people convicted of murder were executed before crowds.

These findings are part of a devastating continuum. For over a decade, UNAMA has systematically documented civilian harm and rights abuses in Afghanistan, with recent trends pointing to a rapid shrinking of civic space. Human rights organizations echo these concerns, warning that compounding economic hardship, widespread displacement, and the eradication of fundamental freedoms are leaving communities more vulnerable than ever.

In its conclusion, UNAMA issued a urgent call for the de facto authorities to respect international human rights obligations and implement meaningful accountability measures. The mission warned that the continuation of these abuses not only inflicts profound suffering on the Afghan people but also risks cementing the country’s instability and further isolating it from the international community.

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