Taliban publicly execute man for double murder under Qisas law
A man in western Afghanistan has been publicly executed by the Taliban after being convicted of two separate murders. The execution took place at a sports stadium in Qala-i-Naw, the capital of Badghis province, in front of a large crowd. The man was shot three times by a relative of one of the victims, according to the Supreme Court ruling. Witnesses confirmed the crowd had been invited to attend and that the case was handled via “retaliatory punishment”, under a legal framework known as qisas, which allows the victim’s family to demand execution if they refuse amnesty.
Taliban officials say the court process was thorough, involving multiple reviews, and that the families of the victims had been given opportunities to forgive the convicted man but declined. This execution raises serious concerns from international human rights observers, who argue that public executions violate the right to life and basic justice standards. It brings to eleven the number of men publicly executed since the Taliban came back to power in 2021, according to an AFP count.
