Taliban Executions 2025: The Taliban executed a convicted murderer, a 13-year-old boy, in front of a crowd of 80,000 in Khost. Phone ban, closed stadiums and Qisas’s punishment have shocked the world – UN called it cruel and inhumane.
New Delhi. This news from Afghanistan is as shocking as it is fear-inducing. Last week, the Taliban carried out a public execution in Khost province of eastern Afghanistan, which attracted the attention of the whole world. In front of a crowd of thousands, a 13-year-old boy was forced to shoot an accused murderer. Reports claim that around 80,000 people had gathered in the stadium to watch this hanging. According to the report of The Independent, this incident was not just a hanging, but a ‘spectacle’ which the Taliban used to show their power and spread fear among the public. Was this justice or just a demonstration of the Taliban’s brutal rule? The UN has described this entire program as inhumane and cruel practice. Now the question before the world is that in which direction is the Taliban rule going in Afghanistan?
Punishment of Qisas: Revenge or compulsion of Sharia?
The Supreme Court of Taliban says that this hanging was carried out under the principle of ‘Qisas’. ‘Qisas’ means an eye for an eye, that is, like the crime, like is the punishment. Convict Mangal was accused of killing 13 relatives of the teenager. Women and children were also included in these. According to the court:
- The victim’s family was given the option to forgive
- The convict’s life could have been saved if pardon had been granted.
- But the family demanded Qisas
After this, the Taliban got the accused shot by the same teenager. The question arises – can a child really be ready to undergo such a violent process? Or was this also pressure from Taliban?
Ban on phones in stadiums – what did Taliban want to hide?
Several reports stated that:
- People were stopped from taking phones into the stadium
- Video recording was completely banned
- But some videos recorded from outside went viral
These videos show a crowd of thousands of people who had come to watch the hanging. This scene became a matter of concern for many international agencies – does the Taliban want to gradually make this ‘hanging show’ a common practice?
Is brutality becoming normal again in Afghanistan?
The Taliban gained complete control of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US and NATO forces in 2021. since its:
- Ban on women and girls from going to school and university
- Women’s share in jobs almost ends
- Public Punishment – Hanging, amputation of hands and feet, flogging – implemented again
This is at least the 11th public hanging in the last two years. This indicates that the Taliban is gradually returning to its old harsh policy.