An Afghan man convicted of murder was publicly executed on Wednesday, the Taliban said, the first since the Islamists returned to power in August 2021.The High Court was directed to enforce this half-assed order at a public meeting of the residentsTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement referring to the law of retaliation in Islamic law. The convict, Tajmir, son of Ghulam Sarwar, was accused of killing the man and stealing his motorcycle and mobile phone, the Taliban said in a statement. “This person was later identified by the heirs of the deceased“, the press release states.
An “odious” death penalty
The man living in the Anjil district of western Herat province of Afghanistan has admitted his guilt, assures the spokesperson. Dozens of court officials, as well as Taliban officials, witnessed the execution. The country’s new leaders assured that the case was thoroughly examined by various courts (first instance, appeals and supreme court) before their supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada confirmed the verdict.
The international community unanimously condemned this execution. “France strongly condemns today’s public execution by the Taliban in Afghanistan”. This was announced by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.“This abhorrent decision is in addition to numerous other violations of fundamental rights and freedoms committed by the Taliban against Afghans and Afghans since their forcible takeover in August 2021.”
US says Taliban broke promises to world after public execution “odious”. “This shows, in our view, that the Taliban are looking to return to their backward and violent practices of the 1990s.”State Department representative Ned Price announced this at the press conference. The United Nations, in turn, announced its decision on Wednesday “deep concern”Secretary General Antonio Guterres’ spokesperson said. “Our position has never changed, the UN is against the death penalty (…). Therefore, we call for a return to the moratorium on the death penalty in the country.”
“God’s Law”
In mid-November, the Taliban’s supreme leader ordered judges to apply all aspects of Islamic law, including public executions, stonings and floggings, and mutilations of thieves. “Carefully study the cases of thieves, kidnappers and rioters“, the spokesperson of the Taliban said in a tweet, quoting Akhundzada. For “the files in which all the conditions of Sharia (…) have been observed, you must applyAll the penalties provided for, he continued.
“With this formal notice to apply scripture, Hibatullah Akhundzada reminds us that the only law on earth is God’s law, and that people are not bound to interpret it.Karim Pakzad, a researcher at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (Iris), analyzes in an interview with AFP. While the Taliban today face resistance within the regime itself, “Sharia, which is the ideological basis of the movement, is a way to bring people together and create unitythe researcher observes. The Taliban have carried out several public floggings since taking power, but Wednesday’s execution is the first they have accepted. For more than a year, social media has been flooded with videos and photos of Taliban fighters beating people accused of various crimes in the streets.
There are also reports of floggings for adultery in rural areas after Friday prayers, but this is difficult to independently verify. After returning to power, the Taliban promised to be more flexible in the application of sharia, but they have largely returned to the ultra-strict interpretation of Islam that marked their first era in power (1996-2001). They then publicly punished those guilty of theft, kidnapping or treason with punishments such as amputation or stoning.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.