UN Official Urges Immediate Halt to Public Executions in Afghanistan

Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, has condemned a public execution that took place on Thursday in Badghis province as a clear violation of human rights and has called for an immediate end to such punishments in the country.

In a message posted on the social media platform X, Bennett stated that the execution was carried out in a stadium—an act that he described as “cruel, inhuman, and degrading.” He said the event reflects a blatant disregard for international human rights standards in Afghanistan.

Bennett emphasized that such punishments not only fail to deter crime but also undermine human dignity, and called for their immediate cessation.

Amid a rise in public executions under Taliban rule, international concerns over human rights conditions in Afghanistan continue to grow. Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that carrying out such extreme measures signals a governing approach based on fear and a blatant disregard for fundamental human rights principles.