KABUL, Afghanistan (BN24) — Taliban authorities executed a man in public on Thursday in western Afghanistan after convicting him of killing two people, marking the latest use of capital punishment under the group’s interpretation of Islamic law since their return to power.
The execution took place in a sports stadium in Qala-i-Naw, the capital of Badghis province, before thousands of spectators, according to a statement from the Taliban-controlled Supreme Court.
The court said the man had been sentenced to “retaliatory punishment” a form of retributive justice, for fatally shooting a man and a woman. His case was reviewed “very precisely and repeatedly,” the statement added.
Witnesses told AFP that the man was shot three times by a relative of the victims, in keeping with the principle of qisas, or retribution, which permits the family of murder victims to execute the murderer under Islamic law. The families of the victims were reportedly offered an opportunity to grant amnesty but declined, according to the court.
Official notices inviting the public to attend were widely circulated on Wednesday. Large crowds gathered in the stadium on Thursday morning as the execution was carried out.
The man’s identity was not publicly released, and Taliban officials have not commented further on the nature of the crime or the date of his arrest and conviction.
This marks at least the 11th known public execution in Afghanistan since the Taliban seized control of the country in August 2021, according to a tally by Agence France-Presse. It underscores the group’s commitment to enforcing its strict interpretation of Islamic law despite widespread condemnation from international human rights organizations.
Public executions and corporal punishments were common during the Taliban’s first rule from 1996 to 2001. After regaining control, the group promised a more moderate approach, but observers say public punishments, floggings, and executions have resumed in several provinces over the past two years.
The United Nations and human rights groups have criticized the return of public executions as violations of international law and fundamental human rights. The Taliban, however, argue that such punishments serve as a deterrent and reflect religious and cultural traditions.
There was no immediate reaction from international observers or human rights watchdogs following Thursday’s execution.
