The Taliban orchestrated a significant public execution at a crowded stadium with 80,000 spectators, compelling a 13-year-old to carry out the death sentence on his family’s murderer.
Afghanistan’s governing authorities conducted the public execution at a stadium in Khost, where the man, accused by the Supreme Court of killing 13 members of his family, including children, was put to death.
The massive stadium, comparable in size to Wembley Stadium, hosted tens of thousands of attendees, including the victims’ relatives, marking the 11th execution since the Taliban’s assumption of power in 2021 following the US and NATO troops’ tumultuous withdrawal.
UN’s Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennet, denounced the execution on social media, emphasizing the cruelty and inhumanity of public executions as well as their violation of international law.
According to the Supreme Court, the execution was authorized after multiple court rulings, including approval from Afghanistan’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, with the victim’s family opting for retribution under Sharia law rather than forgiveness.
The convicted man, involved in the killing of a family in Khost province, was shot by a relative of his victims, as confirmed by Khost police spokesman Mustaghfir Gorbaz.
While filming inside the stadium was prohibited, external footage captured the influx of large crowds heading into the venue. The Supreme Court concluded the event with prayers for national security, access to legitimate rights, and the enforcement of Islamic Sharia across the country.
Since their resurgence, the Taliban in Afghanistan have enforced a strict interpretation of Sharia law, reinstating public executions and imposing severe restrictions on women and girls in education and employment.
During their previous rule in the late 1990s, the Taliban routinely carried out public executions, lashings, and stonings.