Pakistan Halts Coal & Soapstone Imports From Afghanistan

In addition to lashings, the individuals were sentenced to prison terms ranging from six months to four years.

In a statement released Thursday, 5 June, the Taliban Supreme Court said nine people in Kabul were sentenced to between 10 and 20 lashes for allegedly selling and trafficking drugs. They were also given prison terms of six to seven months.

In separate reports, the court said a woman and a man were flogged in Parwan for running away from home. Two other individuals in Khost were flogged on drug trafficking charges.

The Taliban’s primary court in Khost also sentenced one person to 36 public lashes for theft, along with a two-year prison term.

Additionally, two individuals, including a woman in Parwan, were sentenced to four years in prison and 35 lashes. Two others in Khost received prison terms of two years and eight months, along with between 35 and 39 lashes.

In the past week alone, the Taliban have publicly flogged at least 41 people across Afghanistan for various offences. The group describes these punishments as the implementation of Sharia.

Despite strong opposition from international human rights organisations to the use of corporal punishment and torture, the Taliban judicial system continues to conduct public floggings and executions.

The ban also applies to travellers from Iran, Chad, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Myanmar, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

The order, issued on Wednesday, 4 June, cites the Taliban’s control of Afghanistan as justification for including Afghan citizens in the ban. The Taliban is listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) group by the US government. The SDGT list, maintained by the US Department of the Treasury, targets groups and individuals associated with terrorist activities and imposes financial sanctions, including asset freezes.

The order further states that Afghanistan lacks a capable and reliable central authority to issue passports and other civil documents. It also argues that the country does not have adequate mechanisms in place for conducting background checks or screening individuals prior to travel.

Under the new directive, the entry of Afghan citizens, both immigrants and non-immigrants, into the United States is suspended with immediate effect.

The executive order includes several exemptions. Afghan Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) holders are permitted to enter the United States, as are religious and ethnic minorities from Iran who have been granted immigrant visas. US permanent residents and dual nationals travelling on a passport from a country not subject to the ban are also exempt.

Other exemptions apply to immediate family members with immigrant visas, individuals holding special US government employee visas, and those travelling with diplomatic visas for United Nations or NATO missions. Additionally, athletes, coaches and accompanying staff participating in events such as the Olympics, World Cup or other major international sporting competitions are not subject to the ban.

Muttaqi made the remarks during a meeting with Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, according to a statement released Wednesday by the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry.

The call comes despite widespread international criticism of the Taliban’s human rights record, particularly its treatment of women and restrictions on civil liberties. Since returning to power in 2021, the Taliban has barred girls and women from secondary and higher education, curtailed media freedoms and detained protesters and dissenting voices without due process.

According to the United Nations, nearly eight million Afghans have left the country since the 2020 Doha Agreement and the Taliban’s subsequent takeover. Many have fled Taliban-imposed restrictions on women, threats to personal safety and a deepening economic crisis.

During the meeting, Muttaqi and Otunbayeva reportedly discussed the needs of returning migrants, the situation of Afghan diaspora communities worldwide, recent developments inside Afghanistan and other key issues.

Muttaqi urged UNAMA, the UN’s political mission in Afghanistan, to ensure that future UN reports accurately reflect what he described as “progress and comprehensive stability” under Taliban governance.

According to the Taliban’s statement, Otunbayeva acknowledged the group’s cooperation and reiterated the UN’s commitment to standing by the Afghan people. She reportedly pledged to relay the Taliban’s views at upcoming UN and Security Council meetings and to highlight what she called existing opportunities within Afghanistan.

Otunbayeva also said the UN is working to improve conditions for returning refugees and aims to promote job creation through investment initiatives. She added that international aid to Afghanistan is now evolving beyond humanitarian relief to include development-focused assistance.

In a statement, the office warned that those who fail to comply with the deadline will face enforcement action by law enforcement authorities.

According to the Mehr News Agency, the directorate stated: “The final and non-extendable departure date for all holders of return permits to Afghanistan has been set as 6 July.” It further emphasised that any stay beyond this date will be deemed illegal and subject to enforcement measures.

The directorate urged Afghan return-permit holders to depart during June to avoid overcrowding and the challenges posed by extreme summer heat. It advised them to visit the Shiraz return centre to complete the legal departure process and “benefit from its advantages”, though the specific benefits were not detailed.

The statement also addressed families with school-age children, noting that they do not need to wait for final exam results in June. These results can later be collected by relatives or acquaintances on their behalf.

Additionally, the notice instructed individuals holding invalid census documents to promptly visit immigration offices to obtain return permits to Afghanistan. It warned that failure to do so would constitute a violation, with all legal consequences falling upon the individuals themselves.

Since last year, Iran has intensified its deportation of Afghan migrants, with thousands being expelled on a daily basis.

The forced deportation of Afghan migrants from both Iran and Pakistan over the past year has further exacerbated poverty and unemployment in Afghanistan.

Expressing deep concern over the rising number of executions, the groups reported that 32 Afghan prisoners have been executed in Iranian prisons in the first five months of this year.

The statement, signed by 84 organisations and released on Wednesday, 4 June, warns of an accelerating trend in the execution of Afghans in Iran since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan.

The groups cautioned that dozens more Afghan prisoners could face execution in the coming months.

According to the statement, the number of Afghan citizens executed in Iran rose from 16 in 2022 to 80 in 2024, following the Taliban’s resurgence.

The organisations stressed that many of these executions are carried out in secret, without public notification. Reports indicate that out of dozens of executions last year, only six were officially announced.

The statement said that Islamic Republic of Iran has demonstrated a free hand in carrying out death sentences against the poorest and most marginalised members of society, those whose executions carry the least cost for the regime.

The groups also criticised Iran’s judicial process as often “unfair,” noting that many convictions are based on confessions extracted under torture.

The statement further highlighted an increasingly hostile environment towards migrants in Iran, accusing the government of fuelling anti-migrant sentiment to divert public attention from economic mismanagement.

The signatories called on human rights defenders, political figures and the public to speak out against the wave of executions of Afghan nationals in Iran and urged the international community not to remain silent.

Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights and one of the signatories, said: “Afghans living in Iran are among the most vulnerable in society and are treated as low-cost victims by the Islamic Republic’s execution apparatus.”

The statement was issued alongside reports of the execution of Shoaib Abdulhaq Mohammadi, a 23-year-old Afghan man, who was put to death in Taybad Central Prison on drug-related charges. Human rights groups such as Hengaw and Haalvsh have been documenting and reporting on these executions.