Taliban publicly execute Afghan murder convict

Taliban authorities in eastern Afghanistan publicly executed an alleged murderer Wednesday, citing the Islamic concept of retributive justice or qisas.

The early morning punishment, which promptly drew the condemnation of the United Nations, was carried out at a sports stadium in Gardez, the capital of the Paktia province, the Taliban supreme court announced through the X social media platform.

The provincial government said the public, and senior civilian, judicial, and military officials, including Taliban Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, were among those who witnessed the execution. Authorities had barred onlookers from bringing cameras or mobile devices.

The convict, identified as Mohammad Ayaz Asad, had reportedly shot dead a Taliban security force member.

The top Taliban court did not provide specific details regarding the implementation of the death penalty, but witnesses reported that gunfire was employed. Social media videos showed crowds heading to the sports stadium to witness the event.

“The case was meticulously examined and scrutinized by the three-stage military court of the Islamic Emirate in multiple iterations before the order of retaliation (Qisas) was issued and approved,” the statement said, using the official title of the Taliban government, which is officially not recognized by any country.

It was the sixth public execution of a murder convict in Afghanistan since the Taliban regained power in August 2021 and implemented a criminal justice system based on their interpretation of Islamic law, Sharia. Previously, such executions were carried out by gunshot.

Despite the United Nations condemning the practice as “inconsistent with the fundamental right to life” and "a form of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment," de facto Afghan leaders continue to carry out executions.

“I condemn today’s horrific public execution in a sports stadium in Gardez #Afghanistan, as well as other corporal punishments & executions carried out by the Taliban,” Richard Bennett, the U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of Afghan human rights, said on the social media platform X Wednesday.

“I call on the Taliban to immediately halt these atrocious punishments, which are clear violations of human rights,” said Bennett.

Separately, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan decried the execution, saying such actions are “contrary to Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations and must cease.”

The Taliban also have flogged hundreds of men and women in packed sports stadiums across Afghanistan for committing “immoral crimes," such as adultery, homosexuality, theft, and robbery.

In October alone, nearly 100 Afghans, including women, were lashed in front of onlookers and received jail terms ranging from six months to two years for such offenses, according to the Taliban Supreme Court data.

U.N. experts and human rights organizations have decried corporal punishment as a breach of human rights and international law, urging the Taliban to stop it immediately.

Women’s rights in Afghanistan have declined sharply under the Taliban rule, according to U.N. assessments.

They cite a series of decrees and directives issued by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, which are designed to “systematically” exclude women from public life in nearly every sector.

The edicts have banned Afghan girls and young women from pursuing secondary and university-level education. Women are banned from public and private workplaces except for health, immigration, and police departments.

A recent decree has deemed the sound of women’s voices in public a moral violation and requires them to cover their entire bodies and faces when outdoors. It also forbids women from looking at men to whom they are not related and vice versa.

The Taliban have defended their Islamic governance and rejected international calls to reverse restrictions on Afghan women’s freedom.

No country has officially recognized Taliban leaders as legitimate rulers of Afghanistan, mainly citing their harsh treatment of women.