The Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has labeled UNAMA’s call for an end to capital punishment as “an affront to Islamic rulings, irresponsible, and unbearable.” The ministry stated that the implementation of the death penalty is an undeniable part of Islamic Sharia and urged UNAMA to refrain from making such criticisms in the future.
In a statement released on Wednesday, April 16 (Hamal 27), the ministry claimed that four individuals were executed in the provinces of Badghis, Nimroz, and Farah following what it called a “thorough judicial process.”
The ministry added that these executions were carried out after verdicts from three levels of courts and that the defendants had access to legal representation throughout all stages of the proceedings.
The Taliban warned UNAMA that “bold criticism of Islamic Sharia rulings is an irresponsible act” and that such statements contradict the mission of the organization and are intolerable to the group.
The ministry emphasized that implementing “Islamic Hudood” (penal limits under Sharia) is a duty the Taliban is committed to. It further claimed that global experience has demonstrated the “effectiveness” of the death penalty in “ensuring justice and social order.”
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) recently responded to the execution of four men by the Taliban in Farah, Badghis, and Nimroz, stating that the act violates the fundamental right to life. UNAMA urged the Taliban to immediately halt capital punishment in Afghanistan.
On Friday, the Taliban executed four men in three provinces of Afghanistan. Two men were executed publicly in Qala-e-Naw, the capital of Badghis province; one in Zaranj, the capital of Nimroz; and another in the capital of Farah province.
These executions have sparked reactions and condemnations from various international organizations and several countries.
