(Rightallegiance.com) – In a recent and unsettling event, the Taliban regime in Afghanistan conducted a public execution, marking a significant moment in the country’s southeast. This execution involved the shooting of two men, accused of fatal stabbings, by the victims’ relatives in a crowded stadium setting. This incident took place in the city of Ghazni, within the Ali Lala region, drawing thousands of spectators to the scene.
The judicial process leading to this execution saw the involvement of multiple levels of the Taliban’s court system, culminating in a decision by the Supreme Court. The accused, identified as Syed Jamal from Wardak province and Gul Khan from Ghazni, were held responsible for the deaths of two individuals in separate incidents. Despite the ambiguity surrounding the actual perpetrators of the stabbings, the court’s ruling attributed the blame to Jamal and Khan. The verdict came after careful consideration by three lower courts and the endorsement of Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader, who sanctioned the executions as a form of retribution.
The execution event saw a significant turnout, with people eagerly gathering outside the stadium, some climbing over barriers in their attempt to witness the proceedings. Despite appeals from religious scholars for forgiveness towards the convicted men, the victims’ families proceeded with the execution. According to Abu Khalid Sarhadi, a representative for the Ghazni police, it was these relatives who carried out the shooting, though the specifics of the firearms used were not disclosed. The execution took place in the early afternoon, with a total of 15 shots fired, divided unevenly between the two men.
The method of execution, as described by Supreme Court spokesperson Abdul Rahim Rashid, involved the convicted men being shot from behind, with their bodies subsequently removed by ambulances. This event marks the third and fourth public executions since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021, a period that followed the tumultuous withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan.
These actions have drawn severe criticism from the international community, particularly from the United Nations. The UN has consistently condemned the Taliban’s use of public executions, lashings, and stonings, citing these practices as violations of fundamental human rights. In response to the latest executions, the UN reiterated its opposition to the death penalty, emphasizing its inconsistency with the right to life. The UN’s mission in Afghanistan has called for an immediate moratorium on the death penalty, urging the Taliban towards its eventual abolition. This stance harks back to the Taliban’s earlier rule in the late 1990s, a period marked by similar forms of severe public punishment.