UN Expert Urges Afghanistan to End Public Executions, Calls Death Penalty Barbaric

A United Nations human rights expert has strongly condemned the latest public execution carried out in Afghanistan, describing it as a violation of human dignity and an alarming sign of the Taliban's ongoing disregard for international human rights norms. Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, has called for an immediate moratorium on all executions and the complete abolition of the death penalty.

"The death penalty is a cruel, inhuman, and degrading punishment. It is irreversible, often applied unfairly, and fails to serve as an effective deterrent to crime," Bennett stated.

Public Execution in Badghis Province

The latest execution took place on 16 October, when the de facto Supreme Court of Afghanistan announced that a man convicted of murder was publicly executed in a sports stadium in Badghis province. The killing was carried out before a crowd, in line with the Taliban's reinstated policy of public punishments.

According to reports, the death sentence was endorsed by the Taliban's supreme leader, following approval from the de facto appellate and supreme courts—a process that, according to Bennett, lacks transparency, independence, and due process.

This marks at least the 11th public execution since the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, despite repeated international appeals to halt such practices.

"The application of the death penalty anywhere is deeply troubling," Bennett said. "In the context of Afghanistan, where the Taliban-controlled justice system lacks any semblance of independence or due process, it is especially alarming."

A Justice System Under Siege

Since the Taliban's return to power, Afghanistan's judicial system has been effectively dismantled, with the replacement of professional judges and prosecutors by clerics and political loyalists. The regime has reinstated harsh interpretations of Islamic law, including floggings, amputations, and public executions, often carried out in front of large crowds.

International observers, including the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), have documented widespread violations of fair trial guarantees, such as lack of legal representation, coerced confessions, and politically motivated prosecutions.

Bennett warned that under these conditions, executions amount to state-sanctioned killings without justice, and that the Taliban's reliance on public punishment is a strategy of intimidation and control.

"Under the Taliban, public executions and other cruel punishments are not only a horrifying form of violence—they are a deliberate tool used to control the population and instil fear," he said. "They must be unequivocally condemned."

Global Outcry Against Death Penalty Practices

Afghanistan remains one of the few countries where public executions still occur, alongside nations such as Iran, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia. The international community, including the United Nations, European Union, and human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, has consistently urged the Taliban to end such practices.

The UN's stance is clear: the death penalty has no place in modern justice systems. It has been abolished in more than 170 countries either by law or in practice, with only a small minority continuing to implement capital punishment.

Bennett reiterated that public executions constitute cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment, violating Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Afghanistan remains a party. Despite the Taliban's isolation from international institutions, the de facto authorities remain bound by Afghanistan's international human rights obligations.

Fear, Intimidation, and the Erosion of Human Dignity

Beyond their legal implications, public executions inflict profound psychological harm on Afghan society. They dehumanize not only the individual being executed but also the spectators, including children and families who are often coerced into witnessing acts of violence.

Experts warn that such spectacles normalize brutality, deepen trauma, and further erode public trust in any form of justice.

"Public executions are intended to terrorize, not to deliver justice," said Bennett. "They degrade the very fabric of society and perpetuate cycles of fear and violence."

A Call for Moratorium and Reform

The UN expert urged Afghanistan's de facto authorities to immediately halt all executions and establish a moratorium as an essential first step toward abolition. He also called on international partners to maintain diplomatic pressure on the Taliban and support Afghan civil society organizations working to defend human rights.

Bennett stressed that any justice system must be grounded in fair trial guarantees, transparency, and respect for human dignity. In Afghanistan, however, these principles have been systematically dismantled.

"I urge the de facto authorities in Afghanistan to immediately halt all executions and establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, as a crucial first step toward its full abolition," he said.

Upholding Human Rights in Crisis

As the humanitarian and human rights situation in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate, the UN maintains that justice cannot exist without humanity. The continued use of public executions signals not justice, but the erosion of law, compassion, and accountability.

Bennett's call adds to a growing chorus of international concern that Afghanistan's trajectory under Taliban rule represents one of the most severe setbacks for human rights in recent history.

The report will likely feature prominently in upcoming UN deliberations, as pressure mounts for a coordinated global response to hold Afghanistan's de facto authorities accountable for ongoing human rights abuses.