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The latest incident comes amid growing international concern over the use of capital punishment in the country since 2021, when the Taliban swept back into power 20 years on from the allied invasion that ended their rule, in the wake of the 11 September terrorist attacks in the United States.<\/p>\n
Since the Taliban takeover of August 2021, the de facto authorities have reintroduced public executions, floggings and other forms of corporal punishment, despite international appeals to uphold human rights standards.<\/p>\n
These practices have raised significant concerns among human rights experts and the international community.<\/p>\n
The latest execution, which took place in Gardez, Paktya province, represents a \u201cclear violation of human rights\u201d and demonstrates an alarming pattern of public punishments, according to UN independent expert \u2013 or Special Rapporteur \u2013 who monitors human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett.<\/p>\n
\u201cI condemn today\u2019s horrific public execution<\/strong>,\u201d Mr. Bennett said in a statement on social media, describing the incident as a clear human rights violation. \u201cThese atrocious punishments are clear violations of human rights and must be immediately halted<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) emphasised that \u201cexecutions carried out in public are contrary to Afghanistan\u2019s international human rights obligations and must cease.<\/strong>\u201d The Mission called on the de facto authorities to \u201cestablish an immediate moratorium<\/strong> on all executions with a view to abolition of the death penalty\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cWe also call for respect for due process and fair trial rights, in particular access to legal representation,\u201d UNAMA stated.<\/p>\n The public execution reflects a broader pattern of human rights deterioration in Afghanistan. The Taliban have issued more than 70 edicts, directives and decrees since their 2021 takeover, including limiting girls to primary level education, banning women from most professions and prohibiting them from using parks, gyms and other public places.<\/p>\n UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous recently told the Security Council that \u201cAfghanistan\u2019s women do not only fear these oppressive laws, but they also fear their capricious application,\u201d noting that \u201ca life lived in such circumstance is truly incomprehensible\u201d.<\/p>\n The UN Special Representative in Afghanistan and head of UNAMA Roza Otunbayeva reported in September that while the de facto authorities have \u201cdelivered a period of stability,\u201d they are \u201cexacerbating this crisis by policies that focus insufficiently on the real needs of its people.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nCalls for moratorium<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Deteriorating rights situation<\/strong><\/h2>\n