Richard Bennett, the independent monitor for the human rights situation in Afghanistan, said the incident at a sports field in Gardez, Paktia province, reflected flagrant violations of human rights and a worrying trend towards public impunity.
In a message on social media on Wednesday, he said, “I condemn today’s horrific public execution. “These brutal punishments are a clear violation of human rights and must be stopped immediately.”
After the terrorist attacks on America on September 11, 2001, the United States along with its allies took military action and the Taliban were ousted from power.
But two decades later, in August 2021, the Taliban again seized power in Afghanistan, allowing public executions, floggings and other forms of punishment.
The Taliban took this step despite appeals from around the world to ensure human rights protection in the country. The international community and human rights experts have expressed deep concern about this method of punishment.
Demand for voluntary closure
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in its statement that public executions contravene Afghanistan’s international human rights obligations and must stop.
The UN mission has called on the ruling Taliban to impose a voluntary moratorium on public executions and to abolish the death penalty.
“We call for due process and respect for the right to a fair trial, particularly access to legal representation.”
Deterioration of human rights situation
Public executions in Afghanistan reflect a broader trend of deteriorating human rights conditions in the country. As of 2021, more than 70 orders and decrees have been issued by the Taliban, including limiting girls’ education at the primary level, banning women from working in most professions, and banning them from parks, gyms, and other public places, among other restrictions. including refraining from going.
UN Women’s Executive Director Seema Bachaus recently told the Security Council that Afghan women not only fear these oppressive laws, but also question their arbitrary application.
Roza Otunbayeva, the UN special representative for Afghanistan, said in September that the Taliban administration had created an environment of stability in the country, but was deepening the crisis by adopting policies that did not pay enough attention to the problems of ordinary citizens. the country