The Taliban in Afghanistan have carried out the second known public execution since the terror group took control of the country two years ago, according to a report from the Associated Press.
The man, known only as “Ajmal” from Kabul, was convicted by the Supreme Court of murdering five people last year in two separate cases. He was executed Tuesday by the son of one of the five men he was convicted of killing. It took place outside of a mosque in the Laghman province using a rifle, the outlet notes.
“Due to the seriousness of the case, the supreme leader also undertook a final investigation and after discussion with scholars confirmed the execution,” a statement from the Supreme Court said.
Family members of the four other victims were reportedly in attendance. According to the AP, Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered the execution after the case was brought to the country’s Supreme Court, and three different courts reportedly upheld the death sentence.
Last year, Akhundzada told judges in the country to carry out punishments in accordance with sharia law, Reuters reported. The high court also announced last year a return to some of the practices of the Taliban of the 1990s, including public floggings for crimes like adultery and robbery, the outlet adds.
The country took heavy criticism in December from the international community when it carried out its first known public execution since the takeover. In that case, a man was executed in front of a crowd of hundreds, including senior Taliban officials, after he was convicted of murder. A United Nations Human Rights spokesperson called the event “deeply disturbing.”
In August 2021, President Biden began the withdrawal of American military personnel from Afghanistan after a presence in the country for 20 years. Critics called the withdrawal “disastrous,” saying it was one of the worst moments in his presidency. Many Americans and allies were left in the country, along with billions of dollars worth of weapons and equipment.
On August 26, 2021, 13 American servicemembers were killed during the Kabul airlift.
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Since the Taliban’s takeover, over 200 news organizations have had their doors closed, women have largely been prohibited from attending school, the economy shrank by 30% as of October 2022, and almost all Afghans were living in poverty, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.
Persecution against Christians has also been rising. According to a November report from the Catholic group Aid to the Church In Need, the rise of the Taliban has been “driving Christians underground,” where they “live in fear of arrest, torture, and execution.”