KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, condemned the Taliban’s latest public execution, calling for an immediate end to such “atrocious punishments.”
The Taliban publicly executed a man named Mohammad Ayaz, accused of murder, in a sports stadium in eastern Paktia province on Wednesday, November 13.
The public execution was carried out in the presence of senior Taliban authorities and local residents, following approval from the Taliban court and its supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Following the execution, Mr. Bennett took to X, condemning the act as a clear violation of human rights and urging the Taliban to immediately stop the practices of public executions and corporal punishment.
“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,” Bennett said.
“I call on the Taliban to immediately halt these atrocious punishments, which are clear violations of human rights,” he added.
Meanwhile, the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) says that the Taliban’s public executions violate Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations and must be stopped.
“UNAMA urges Afghanistan’s de facto authorities [Taliban] to establish an immediate moratorium on all executions with a view to abolition of the death penalty,” UNAMA wrote on X today.
“We also call for respect for due process and fair trial rights, in particular access to legal representation,” it added.
Today’s public execution was the sixth carried out by the Taliban since their return to power three years ago. Prior to this, the regime publicly executed individuals in Farah, Ghazni, Laghman, and Jowzjan provinces, all accused of murder.
Moreover, since then, the Taliban has publicly flogged hundreds of people, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals, on various charges across the country.
Despite repeated calls from the UN, rights groups, and activists to end public executions and corporal punishment, the regime has emphasized the continuation of such practices, claiming they are enforcing Sharia law in Afghanistan.
