UN ‘appalled’ by public executions in Afghanistan

The United Nations has called on Afghanistan’s Taliban government to immediately stop publicly carrying out “inhumane” executions and flogging people convicted of murder or other crimes.

The condemnation came after Taliban authorities executed three people in several Afghan cities last week in front of hundreds of cheering crowds at multiple sports stadiums. The Geneva-based UN human rights office, OHCHR, said in a statement on Wednesday that it was “appalled” by the public executions. OHCHR has also termed such acts as ‘a form of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment’.
The United Nations called on the radical Taliban to ensure

that anyone accused of criminal charges has the right to a fair trial, in particular access to legal representation, according to specific procedures. Afghanistan’s de facto authorities have dismissed all criticism of their criminal justice system. It is in line with Islamic rules and guidelines, they said. Richard Bennett, the UN special representative on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, will present the details of his new report at Thursday’s meeting of the UN Human Rights Council.