Public execution in Afghanistan condemned as ‘clear human rights violation’

The latest incident comes amid growing international concern over the use of capital punishment in the country since 2021, when the Taliban swept back into power 20 years on from the allied invasion that ended their rule, in the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks in the United States.

Since the Taliban takeover of August 2021, the de facto authorities have reintroduced public executions, floggings and other forms of corporal punishment, despite international appeals to uphold human rights standards.

These practices have raised significant concerns among human rights experts and the international community.

The latest execution, which took place in Gardez, Paktya province, represents a “clear violation of human rights” and demonstrates an alarming pattern of public punishments, according to UN independent expert – or Special Rapporteur – who monitors human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett.

“I condemn today’s horrific public execution,” Mr. Bennett said in a statement on social media, describing the incident as a clear human rights violation. “These atrocious punishments are clear violations of human rights and must be immediately halted”.

Calls for moratorium

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) emphasised that “executions carried out in public are contrary to Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations and must cease.” The Mission called on the de facto authorities to “establish an immediate moratorium on all executions with a view to abolition of the death penalty”.

“We also call for respect for due process and fair trial rights, in particular access to legal representation,” UNAMA stated.

Deteriorating rights situation

The public execution reflects a broader pattern of human rights deterioration in Afghanistan. The Taliban have issued more than 70 edicts, directives and decrees since their 2021 takeover, including limiting girls to primary level education, banning women from most professions and prohibiting them from using parks, gyms and other public places.

UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous recently told the Security Council that “Afghanistan’s women do not only fear these oppressive laws, but they also fear their capricious application,” noting that “a life lived in such circumstance is truly incomprehensible”.

The UN Special Representative in Afghanistan and head of UNAMA Roza Otunbayeva reported in September that while the de facto authorities have “delivered a period of stability,” they are “exacerbating this crisis by policies that focus insufficiently on the real needs of its people.”