Taliban Made 13-Year-Old Execute Convicted Killer Before Crowd Of Thousands: Report

The Taliban last week oversaw a public execution in eastern Afghanistan in which a 13-year-old boy was made to shoot a man convicted of killing more than a dozen members of his family. The execution, held in a packed sports stadium in Khost province, drew an estimated crowd of around 80,000, according to a report in The Independent.

The UN has condemned the spectacle as "inhuman and cruel".

'Qisas' Punishment

The man, identified as Mangal, had been convicted along with two others of killing 13 relatives of the teenager, including women and children. Afghanistan's Taliban-run Supreme Court said the convict was sentenced under Qisas - a Sharia-based principle of retributive justice akin to "an eye for an eye".

Officials said the victim's family had been given the option to forgive the killer, a move that would have spared his life, but they insisted the death sentence be carried out.

"Today a murderer was sentenced to retaliation punishment (Qisas) in the sports stadium in Khost province," the Supreme Court said on X, adding that the execution followed their refusal to grant clemency.

Crowd Blocked From Filming

Many outlets reported that spectators were barred from carrying phones into the stadium, but video recorded from outside appeared to show tens of thousands of men gathered for the event.

Last week's killing marked at least the 11th execution carried out since the Taliban reinstated public punishments under their strict interpretation of Sharia law. Punishments for crimes such as murder, adultery and theft have included executions, amputations and public floggings.

Restrictions Intensifying

Since the Taliban seized power in 2021 after the withdrawal of US and NATO forces, the group has imposed sweeping restrictions on Afghan women and girls. Female students have been barred from secondary school and university, and most employment opportunities have been shut off, drawing international condemnation.