Home › Afghanistan › Rule of Law & Justice
Rule of Law & Justice
Corruption under both systems; due process under neither.
The Republic was among the most corrupt states on earth. Petty corruption fell after 2021, but courts now order public floggings and executions, and UNAMA has documented reprisal killings of former officials.
Photo: Choinowski, CC BY-SA 4.0
Key Facts
- 16 of 100Corruption Perceptions Index scoreRank 169 of 182 in 2025 (Transparency International)
- 1,030+People publicly flogged in 2025Including at least 150 women
- 218Killings of former officials and soldiersAugust 2021 to June 2023 (UNAMA)
- 2ICC arrest warrantsIssued 8 July 2025 for gender persecution
Corruption Perceptions Index score
16 of 100
Rank 169 of 182 in 2025 (Transparency International)
Corruption — Transparency International CPI
| Year | Rank | Score (0–100) |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 117 | 25 (2.5 on old 0–10 scale) |
| 2010 | 176 | 14 |
| 2015 | 166 | 11 |
| 2019 | 173 | 16 |
| 2020 | 165 | 19 |
| 2021 | 174/180 | 16 |
| 2022 | 150/180 | 24 (best in recent years)49 |
| 2023 | 162/180 | 20 |
| 2024 | 165/180 | 17 |
| 2025 | 169/182 | 1650 |
Note: Scores before 2012 used a different method and aren't strictly comparable. The worst-ever score was 8, around 2011–13.
The data show the Republic was among the most corrupt states on earth. Petty corruption (bribes at checkpoints, customs and courts) fell after 2021, which explains the brief 2022 improvement. Grand corruption, nepotism and opacity have since pushed the score back to Republic-era lows.
Taliban justice: punishments and abuses
| Metric | Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Public executions since 2021 | ~10–12 (at least 3 in 2025)5152 | UN; Amu TV compilation |
| Public floggings 2025 | >1,030 people (incl. ≥150 women);51 Taliban themselves claimed 1,11853 | Taliban Supreme Court statements compiled by Amu TV |
| Floggings Jul–Sep 2025 (UNAMA) | 242 people incl. 48 women, 2 girls, 1 boy54 | UNAMA quarterly update |
| Floggings, 6 months to May 2023 | 274 men, 58 women, 2 boys55 | UNAMA |
| Extrajudicial killings of ex-officials/ANDSF (Aug 2021–Jun 2023) | 218 killings; 14 enforced disappearances; >144 torture cases; >424 arbitrary arrests56 | UNAMA, "A Barrier to Securing Peace" (Aug 2023) |
| Ongoing reprisals | E.g. 14 extrajudicial killings and 28 arbitrary detentions of former personnel in a single later UNAMA quarter, including returnees from Iran/Pakistan57 | UNAMA (via Hasht-e Subh) |
Minorities. Hazara and Shia communities face land expropriation, forced evictions and exclusion from governance. They have also been the main targets of ISKP mass-casualty bombings of mosques, schools and educational centres. UNAMA counted 1,218 casualties from attacks on places of worship between August 2021 and May 2023.58 The tiny Sikh and Hindu communities have almost entirely emigrated.
AFM's Position
Afghanistan must be governed by institutions that answer to the people, not to force.
Afghanistan's diversity is a source of national strength. Equal representation and legal protection for all ethnic and religious communities.
Research & References
Small numbers beside a figure link to its source. Figures from Taliban ministries are reported as claims and cannot be independently verified.
