Public executions in Afghanistan condemned as ‘clear violations of human rights’
The latest incident comes amid growing international concern about the use of the death penalty in the country since 2021, when the Taliban regained power 20 years after the allied invasion ended. ended their rule, following the September 11 terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. USA.
Since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, de facto authorities have reintroduced public executions, floggings and other forms of corporal punishment, despite international calls to maintain standards human rights standards.
These practices have raised significant concerns among human rights experts and the international community.
According to the United Nations independent expert – or Special Rapporteur – who monitors human rights in Afghanistan, Richard Bennett, the latest execution, which took place in Gardez, Paktya province, represents a “violation of human rights”. clear” and demonstrates an alarming pattern of public punishment. .
“I condemn today’s terrible public execution” Mr. Bennett said in a statement on social networks, describing the incident as a clear violation of human rights. “These brutal punishments are a clear violation of human rights and must end immediately”.
Call for a pause
United Nations Support Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) emphasizes that “Public executions are contrary to Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations and must end.“The delegation calls on the authorities on the ground”Set up an immediate restraining order on all executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty”.
“We also call for respect for due process and the right to a fair trial, in particular the right to access legal representation,” UNAMA stated.
The rights situation is getting worse and worse
The public execution reflects the deterioration of human rights in Afghanistan. The Taliban have issued more than 70 decrees, directives and ordinances since taking power in 2021, including restricting girls from finishing primary school, banning women from most professions and prohibiting them from using use parks, gyms and other public places.
United Nations Women CEO Sima Bahous recently told Security Council that “Afghan women fear not only these oppressive laws but also their capricious application,” noting that “a life lived under such circumstances is truly incomprehensible.”
United Nations special representative for Afghanistan and UNAMA head Roza Otunbayeva reported in September that although the authorities had in fact “brought about a period of stability,” they were “exacerbating this crisis by policies that do not adequately focus on the real needs of the people.”
