Taliban Executes Four in Public Displays of Power Across Afghanistan

In the largest single-day public executions since 2021, Taliban authorities carried out retributive killings in stadiums filled with thousands, drawing widespread international condemnation.

• Four men convicted of murder were publicly executed on April 11, 2025, in stadiums across three Afghan cities, with orders signed by Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.
• The executions were conducted under 'qisas,' or Islamic retribution law, after victims' families rejected offers of financial compensation and forgiveness.
• Stadiums were filled with tens of thousands of spectators, with authorities encouraging attendance but banning mobile devices to prevent image dissemination.
• This marks the largest number of public executions in a single day since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, bringing the total to nine executions since then.
• Amnesty International condemned the executions as violations of human dignity and international law, urging global pressure on Taliban authorities to halt such practices.

3 Articles

Le Journal du Dimanche Le Parisien Le Nouvel Obs