The Taliban have reached a new low by forcing a traumatized 13-year-old boy to execute his family’s murderer before 80,000 spectators in a packed stadium, turning a child into an instrument of state-sanctioned violence.
Story Highlights
- Taliban Supreme Court approved the 11th public execution since 2021, involving a child as executioner
- 80,000 spectators gathered in Khost stadium to witness the boy shoot the man who killed 13 family members
- UN human rights experts condemn the spectacle as exploiting a traumatized child for regime propaganda
- Event demonstrates Taliban’s systematic return to brutal 1990s-era public punishments in sports venues
Taliban Exploit Traumatized Child for Public Spectacle
The Taliban orchestrated a grotesque display of violence in Khost stadium, where they handed a weapon to a 13-year-old boy whose entire family was murdered and instructed him to execute the convicted killer. After Taliban officials formally asked the child whether he wished to pardon the murderer and he refused, they transformed him into their executioner while crowds chanted religious slogans. This represents the regime’s willingness to exploit even the most vulnerable victims for their twisted interpretation of justice.
The convicted man had been found guilty by the Taliban’s Supreme Court of murdering 13 members of one family, with the death sentence receiving approval from the movement’s top leadership. Taliban authorities mobilized tens of thousands of spectators for what they framed as an official judicial act under qisas, or retributive justice. However, the involvement of a minor as the direct executioner raises profound questions about whether this serves justice or merely regime propaganda designed to terrorize the population.
Systematic Return to Barbaric 1990s Practices
This Khost execution marks the 11th public killing since the Taliban regained power in 2021, demonstrating their methodical restoration of the brutal stadium spectacles that characterized their previous rule. The regime has systematically reintroduced public executions, stonings, and amputations in sports venues, claiming they enforce Islamic criminal law while actually using violence to consolidate political control. These events deliberately echo the worst days of Taliban rule from the mid-1990s to 2001, when Kabul’s Ghazi Stadium became synonymous with public brutality.
Since 2021, the Taliban have steadily dismantled legal protections and due process safeguards, establishing a judicial system dominated by religious loyalists who provide limited procedural transparency. International experts question whether defendants receive fair trials, proper legal representation, or meaningful appeals processes before facing execution. The regime’s Supreme Court periodically announces death sentences with minimal oversight, treating these spectacles as demonstrations of authority rather than genuine judicial proceedings.
International Condemnation and Long-term Consequences
UN human rights experts, including the Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan, have characterized this execution as a serious violation of international law, particularly regarding protections for children and fair trial standards. The event violates Afghanistan’s obligations under international human rights treaties, especially concerning the death penalty and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Human rights organizations argue that involving a minor in state-sanctioned killing compounds the original tragedy and serves no legitimate judicial purpose.
The psychological trauma inflicted on this child could produce lasting consequences including PTSD, guilt, and desensitization to violence, while sending a chilling message to other Afghan children about justice and revenge. These public executions strengthen international arguments for maintaining limited engagement with the Taliban and conditioning any diplomatic recognition on human rights improvements. The regime’s institutionalization of such barbaric practices ensures Afghanistan’s continued isolation from the civilized world and undermines any prospect for legitimate governance based on rule of law rather than terror.
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Afghan boy, 13, executes family’s murderer, echoes worst days of Taliban rule
