Syed Jamal : “Taliban Ends Executions, Abolishes Death Penalty”

Accident – Death – Obituary News : Responding to the recent double public executions carried out by the Taliban in Ghazni city, South Asia, Livia Saccardi, Amnesty International’s interim Deputy Regional Director, strongly condemned the brutal act. Saccardi emphasized that all executions are a violation of the right to life and go against international laws and standards. The Taliban’s repeated public executions are seen as a gross affront to human dignity and cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.

Amnesty International has called for an immediate halt to all executions by the Taliban and urged them to abolish the death penalty and other cruel punishments. The organization highlighted that public executions only serve to increase the cruelty of the death penalty and have a dehumanizing effect on the victims and those who witness the executions. The lack of protection for the right to a fair trial under the Taliban’s de facto authority is also a major concern.

Saccardi stressed the need for the international community and the UN to increase pressure on the Taliban to respect international safeguards and uphold human rights in Afghanistan. The recent double public execution at a stadium in Ghazni city on 22 February has once again brought attention to the blatant human rights violations being carried out by the Taliban.

The two men who were publicly executed, Syed Jamal from central Wardak province and Gul Khan from Ghazni, were held responsible for the stabbing deaths of two individuals in separate incidents. The decision to execute them was based on a decree by Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and rulings from three courts in the region.

Amnesty International has previously condemned the resumption of public executions in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s takeover of power. The organization’s annual Death Penalty report highlighted a concerning increase in judicial executions globally, with Afghanistan being a significant contributor to the rise. As of now, 112 countries have fully abolished the death penalty, and more than two-thirds are abolitionist in law or practice.

The call for the complete abolition of the death penalty has been a longstanding campaign by Amnesty International since 1977. The recent events in Ghazni city serve as a stark reminder of the need for continued advocacy and action to protect human rights and uphold international standards in Afghanistan and beyond..