Comment by UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence on Afghanistan execution

The public execution by the de facto authorities of a man in Afghanistan today is deeply disturbing.

It is believed to be the first public execution since the Taliban takeover in August 2021, taking place in western Farah province in the presence of local residents and some of the most senior members of the de facto authorities.

Public executions constitute a form of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Such executions are arbitrary in nature and contrary to the right to life protected under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Afghanistan is a State party.

The death penalty is incompatible with fundamental tenets of human rights, and its use cannot be reconciled with full respect for the right to life.  We urge the de facto authorities to establish an immediate moratorium on any further executions, and act swiftly to prohibit use of the death penalty in its entirety.

ENDS