AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN PUBLICLY EXECUTE MAN ACCUSED OF MURDER

November 14, 2024:

The Taliban authorities publicly executed a man accused of murder in Paktia province, eastern Afghanistan, on November 13, 2024, marking the sixth public execution since their return to power in the country.
The Taliban Supreme Court announced in a statement that the man, identified as Mohammad Ayaz, was executed in a sports stadium in Gardez, the capital city. The statement said he had killed a person with a gun and was sentenced to retaliation punishment, or Qisas.
According to the statement, the execution was carried out following approval from the Taliban’s triple military court (primary, appellate, and Tamiz) and the final order of the regime’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
The statement noted that the execution took place in the presence of senior Taliban authorities, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, the regime’s interior minister, Khalilur Rahman Haqqani, the minister for refugees, and a large crowd of local residents.
The evening before the execution, the office of the Taliban governor in Paktia called on authorities and local residents to “attend this event” via social media.
This was the sixth public execution carried out by the Taliban since their return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021. Since then, the regime has publicly executed one man in Farah, two in Ghazni, one in Laghman, and another in Jowzan province.
Despite initial promises of a more moderate rule, the Taliban began enforcing severe public punishments including executions, floggings, and stonings shortly after seizing power. The punishments are similar to those imposed during their previous rule of Afghanistan in the late 1990s.
Over the past three years, the Taliban has publicly flogged hundreds of people, including women and LGBTQ+ individuals, on various charges across the country, with a rising incidence in recent weeks.