In a chilling display of authority, the Taliban carried out a public execution in northern Afghanistan on Monday, marking the third such incident in the past five days. Thousands of onlookers gathered at a sports stadium in Shibirghan, the capital of northern Jawzjan province, as a man convicted of murder faced his fate amidst heavy snowfall. According to an eyewitness, the victim’s brother administered five fatal shots with a rifle. Security measures around the stadium were stringent, with anonymity maintained by the witness due to restrictions on media interaction.
This event marks the fifth public execution since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, coinciding with the final withdrawal of US and NATO troops after two decades of conflict. Despite initial pledges of a more moderate governance approach, the Taliban swiftly reverted to harsh public punishments, reminiscent of their previous rule in the late 1990s. Monday’s execution reportedly received approval from three of the nation’s highest courts and the Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Haibatullah Akhundzada.
The condemned individual, identified as Nazar Mohammad from Faryab province’s Bilcheragh district, had perpetrated the murder of Khal Mohammad, also from Faryab, within Jawzjan. Earlier in the week, two men in southeastern Ghazni province met a similar fate, facing execution for fatally stabbing their victims. In a disturbing spectacle witnessed by thousands, relatives of the victims discharged firearms at the condemned individuals at another sports stadium.
Furthermore, recent statements from the Taliban’s supreme court detailed additional instances of public punishment. In northern Balkh province, a man and a woman convicted of adultery endured 35 lashes each, while in eastern Laghman province, two individuals received 30 lashes each for purportedly engaging in immoral acts.
