Officials said the second public execution since the Taliban regained control of the country in August 2021 took place on Tuesday on the grounds of a mosque in a regional Afghan city.
“He was executed in public in the town of Sultan Ghazi Baba, the centre of Laghman province so that he could suffer and become a lesson for others,” said provincial information officers.
The murderer was identified as “Ajmal, son of Naseem,” and it was noted that he had murdered five people.
The execution was witnessed by 2,000 people, including family members of Ajmal’s victims, according to a provincial information and culture department official who spoke to AFP. The official also stated that the punishment and death were carried out in accordance with Sharia law.
The victim’s mother told BBC that the Taliban had urged her to forgive the murderer, but she insisted on execution.
“Taliban came to me and begged me to forgive this infidel. They insisted that I forgive this man for the sake of God, but I told them that this man must be executed and buried the same as he did to my son. This could be a lesson to other people,” she told BBC.
The Taliban carried out their first public execution since the takeover in December 2022 when the victim’s father shot a man convicted of murder at a crowded sports stadium in southwestern Farah province, media reported.
The UN denounced the act and showed extreme concern.
In the first period of ruling from 1996 to 2001, the Taliban was condemned for regularly carrying out punishment in public, including execution at the national stadium in Kabul.
