A man was executed this morning in a crowded stadium in northwestern Afghanistan, bringing the number of prisoners publicly executed since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 to 11, Agence France-Presse reported, BTA reported.
The Supreme Court announced that a man accused of two murders was executed in Qala i Naw, the capital of Badghis province, "in the presence of the residents" of the city.
"The killer took the lives of two people - a man and a woman who was seven or eight months pregnant," Matiullah Muttaki, an official representative of the Taliban authorities in Badghis province, told AFP. "The decision to execute was taken three or four years after (the case) was reviewed by three courts. Then it was forwarded to the office of the (Taliban) supreme leader, who approved it," he added.
According to witnesses, tens of thousands of people came to the stadium. The man was shot three times by the victims' family after the relatives of the murdered refused to forgive him in accordance with the Islamic principle of retribution.
A day earlier, authorities had urged residents on social media to "participate in the event," but as usual, they banned the import of cameras and mobile phones to prevent the spread of photos.
Although public executions were common during the Taliban regime between 1996 and 2001, they have decreased dramatically since their return to power in the summer of 2021. So far, ten men have been shot in different provinces in the country, including four in a single day in April.
"The Taliban continue to carry out executions in clear violation of human dignity and international law," the human rights organization "Amnesty" warned in April. international" and called on the international community to pressure Kabul to stop these punishments.
Since August 2021, authorities have frequently carried out public floggings for other crimes such as theft, adultery or drinking alcohol. The execution orders are signed by the Taliban's supreme leader, Emir Haibatullah Akhundzada, who lives in seclusion in the southern city of Kandahar and rules the country by decree and instructions.