The Taliban’s Supreme Court said on Tuesday that a man convicted of murder was executed in a stadium in central Khost province, with local residents present. The man, identified as Mangal, was a resident of Khost.
According to the Taliban, he had been tried on charges of premeditated murder and was arrested in connection with the killing of Abdul Rahman, son of Zabit. The Supreme Court said the death sentence was upheld by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada after the case was reviewed by three courts.
The Taliban said the victim’s family had been asked to grant forgiveness and accept reconciliation, but they declined.
Atiqullah Darwish, chief of the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division, was quoted by the Taliban-appointed provincial governor’s spokesperson as saying on X that this was the eleventh execution carried out under Taliban rule. He added that two other individuals linked to the same case have also received death sentences, but their executions have been postponed due to the absence of the victim’s heirs. He said both would be executed once the heirs are present.
The United Nations has repeatedly urged the Taliban to halt executions in Afghanistan, but the group has rejected those calls, insisting on enforcing what it describes as Islamic law.
Human-rights organizations say the Taliban’s judicial system fails to meet basic legal standards and that defendants are denied due-process rights, including access to legal counsel. The Taliban continue to impose routine public floggings across several provinces. The group also summons crowds to witness executions and corporal punishments, a practice critics describe as psychological intimidation aimed at instilling fear among the population.
