- The Taliban continue to execute criminals and dissidents for a range of crimes
Taliban authorities today publicly executed two men convicted of murder by shooting them in the back with machine guns in front of a crowd of onlookers.
Both men were executed with multiple gunshots to the back in the city of Ghazni after Supreme Court official Atiqullah Darwish read out a death warrant signed by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
“These two people have been convicted of murder… after two years of trial in the country’s courts, the warrant has been signed,” Darwish said.
Thousands of men gathered in the stadium to witness the execution.
Families of the convicted men’s victims were present and were asked if they would grant the convict a last-minute reprieve, but they declined.
Illustrative image shows an alleged murderer being executed in front of a crowd in Kabul in 1998
A Taliban fighter looks on as he stands near the city of Ghazni, Afghanistan, August 14, 2021
The Taliban government in Kabul has not been officially recognized by any other government since it took power in 2021 and imposed an austere interpretation of Islam.
Akhundzada ordered judges in 2022 to fully implement all aspects of Islamic law, including “eye for an eye” punishments known as “qisas.”
Islamic law, or Sharia, serves as a code of life for Muslims around the world, providing guidance on issues such as modesty, finances and crime.
However, interpretations vary depending on local custom, culture and religious schools of thought.
Taliban scholars in Afghanistan have employed some of the most extreme interpretations of the code, including the death penalty and corporal punishment that are little used in most modern Muslim states.
Under the last foreign-backed government, hundreds of millions of dollars were spent building a new legal system, combining Islamic and secular law with qualified prosecutors, lawyers and judges.
However, many Afghans complained about corruption, bribery and the slow administration of justice.
During the Taliban’s first rule, from 1996 to 2001, public executions were common.
Thursday’s executions are believed to be the third and fourth death sentences imposed since Taliban authorities returned to power.
The first two were also convicted of murder.
However, there have been regular public floggings for other crimes, including theft, adultery and alcohol consumption.
The previous execution took place in June 2023, when a convicted murderer was shot dead on the grounds of a mosque in Laghman province in front of about 2,000 people.
In response, many governments, international organizations and aid agencies have halted or severely reduced their funding for Afghanistan, dealing a serious blow to the already struggling economy.
The Taliban government has also barred girls and women from high schools and universities, banned them from parks, fairs and gyms, and ordered them to cover up in public.