SAWT BEIRUT INTERNATIONAL

| 12 November 2024, Tuesday |

Afghanistan’s Taliban administration executes man for murder of five

Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities executed a man in public in the eastern province of Laghman on Tuesday, according to the country’s top court, the second documented formal execution since the Islamist outfit assumed power in 2021.

The guy was convicted of the murder of five individuals after an inquiry by three courts, according to a statement issued by the Taliban-run Supreme Court, without specifying how he was murdered.

The execution was carried out in the presence of regional Taliban authorities, according to the statement, and it was sanctioned by the top spiritual commander, who urged judges last year to carry out sentences in accordance with Sharia law.

“Due to the seriousness of the case, the supreme leader also undertook a final investigation and after discussion with scholars confirmed the execution,” the statement said.

The first confirmed public execution under the Taliban took place in December in the western province of Farah, being attended by senior Taliban leaders, and drew criticism from the United Nations.

Last year, the Supreme Court announced punishments such as public lashing for those accused of offences such as robbery and adultery, signaling a possible return to practices common under Taliban rule in the 1990s.

In a report in May, the United Nations mission in the country said more than 300 people had been publicly flogged in six months, calling for an end to the practice and use of the death penalty.

Afghanistan witnessed public lashings and deaths by stoning during the previous rule of the Taliban from 1996 to 2001.

Such punishments later became rare and were condemned by successor foreign-backed governments, though the death penalty remained legal.

    Source:
  • Reuters