UN Expert Condemns Afghanistan Execution

OHCHR

GENEVA - A UN expert today condemned the latest public execution in Afghanistan, calling on the de facto authorities to immediately impose a moratorium and abolish the use of the death penalty.

"The death penalty is a cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment. It is irreversible, often applied unfairly, and fails to serve as an effective deterrent to crime," said Richard Bennett, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan.

On 16 October, the de facto Supreme Court in Afghanistan announced that a man had been publicly executed in a sports stadium in Badghis province after being convicted of murder. As is the practice for crimes carrying the death penalty, the punishment was approved by the Taliban leader after also being upheld by the de facto appellate and supreme courts. At least 11 people have been publicly executed since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

"The application of the death penalty anywhere is deeply troubling," Bennett said. "In the context of Afghanistan, where the Taliban-controlled justice system lacks any semblance of independence or due process, it is especially alarming."

The expert reiterated concerns about the public nature of executions in Afghanistan, which not only dehumanise the convicted individual but also the society forced to witness them.

"Under the Taliban, public executions and other cruel punishments are not only a horrifying form of violence, they are a deliberate tool used to control the population and instil fear. They must be unequivocally condemned," the Special Rapporteur said.

"I urge the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to immediately halt all executions and establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, as a crucial first step toward its full abolition," Bennett said.

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