Public execution

Saudi Arabia and Iran are among the handful of countries where public execution has been confirmed in the past decade

A convicted murderer has become the first person executed in public since the Afghan Taliban retook control of the country in August 2021, confirming apprehensions that the group would eventually return to the same hardline interpretation of Islamic jurisprudence that made them international pariahs two decades ago. Since Taliban supreme leader’s order last month for courts to begin issuing punishments such as public executions, stoning, flogging and amputation of limbs, several cases of flogging and other non-fatal public punishments have been reported, but the recent case was the first execution confirmed by senior Taliban leadership.

While almost every Muslim country has the death penalty on the books, most have official or unofficial moratoriums in force. Even where people actually do go to the gallows, public execution has largely been done away with. Saudi Arabia and Iran are among the handful of countries where public executions have been confirmed in the past decade. In the latest Afghan case, the deceased was convicted of robbery-murder based on a confession and identification by his victim’s family. However, it is not known how he was executed. Taliban 1.0 were known for turning executions and floggings into public spectacles by requiring attendance and even allowing public participation.

But, howsoever the execution was carried out, the fact is that the Taliban continue to roll back on their promises to the world community. Girls education and basic human rights are still being used as negotiating chips, even though the Taliban should know by now that they need foreign aid — mostly from the West — far more than the West needs a Taliban-run Afghanistan. Indeed, it is becoming increasingly clear that most Western countries are willing to let Afghanistan implode rather than be accused of supporting the Taliban government by providing much-needed aid. The Taliban could easily change the situation by just toning it down a notch, but their leadership seems not to care.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 9^th, 2022.

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