UN human rights office appalled by public executions in Afghanistan

GENEVA

The UN human rights office on Wednesday said that it is appalled by last week's public executions of three people at sports stadiums in Afghanistan in the presence of de facto officials.

Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Jeremy Laurence said in a statement that the convicted individuals were reportedly shot multiple times during the executions in Ghazni and Sheberghan cities.

Noting that five people have been publicly executed since the Taliban took over in Aug. 2021, Laurence said: "Public executions are a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Such executions are also arbitrary in nature and contrary to the right to life protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Afghanistan is a State party."

"They must cease immediately," he urged.

He also drew attention to the flogging of four people, including a 12-year-old boy and a woman, in Laghman and Balkh provinces on Sunday, arguing that corporal punishment is a form of "cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, which is prohibited under international human rights law."

"Given these serious concerns, we urge the de facto authorities to establish an immediate moratorium on any further executions, and to act swiftly to prohibit use of the death penalty in its entirety," he urged.

He called on interim Afghan authorities to uphold full respect for due process and fair trial rights, particularly access to legal representation, for anyone facing criminal charges.