Taliban makes 13-year-old boy execute convicted murderer in stadium spectacle attended by 80,000
Thousands gather in Afghan stadium to watch 13-year-old execute relative’s murderer
- The Taliban in Afghanistan oversaw the public execution of a man by a 13-year-old boy, who was a relative of the victims the man was accused of murdering.
- Tens of thousands of men reportedly gathered at a sports stadium in Khost province to witness the medieval-style spectacle.
- The death sentence was confirmed by Afghanistan’s three levels of courts and the supreme leader, after the victims' relatives insisted on the penalty.
- Human rights workers and the UN special rapporteur for Afghanistan, Richard Bennet, condemned the public execution as 'inhuman', 'cruel', and contrary to international law.
- This marks the 11th execution carried out under the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Sharia law since they seized power in 2021, a practice also common during their previous rule.