UN Rapporteur Condemns Public Execution in Khost as Violation of Human Rights and Islam

Following the implementation of a public execution by the Taliban authorities in Afghanistan’s Khost province, Richard Bennett, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, condemned the act as a blatant violation of human dignity and contrary to both human rights principles and Islamic teachings.

In a post on social media platform X on Tuesday, December 5, Bennett stated that the execution, carried out in Khost’s main stadium, was performed by a 13-year-old boy and witnessed by thousands of people, including children. He stressed that the direct involvement of a child in such an act is not only deeply disturbing but also a clear violation of children’s rights.

Local sources in Khost told media outlets that the individual sentenced to retribution was accused of killing members of the boy’s family. According to documents from the Taliban-run court system, the executed man was identified as Mangal, son of Talakhan, originally from Syed Karam District in Paktia province and a current resident of the Koza-Abukhani area in Khost. The Taliban court claimed that Mangal had fatally shot a local resident named Abdulrahman.

The Taliban stated that the case was reviewed by three levels of judiciary—primary, appellate, and supreme courts—and the retribution sentence was approved and executed following authorization from the Taliban leader. The execution took place in front of approximately 80,000 residents, security forces, and Taliban officials.

This incident has once again sparked criticism from international organizations and human rights activists. Human rights groups have repeatedly warned of the lack of transparency in the Taliban’s judicial procedures. According to legal sources, this marks the eleventh public execution carried out by Taliban authorities in the past four years.

The continuation of such actions highlights persistent practices that contradict international human rights standards and raise concerns over the instrumental use of religious concepts to suppress justice and the civil rights of Afghan citizens.