Nearly 80,000 people gathered inside a stadium in Khost province on Tuesday as the Taliban carried out a public execution, one of the largest such gatherings since the group returned to power. Taliban officials said the man executed had been convicted of intentional murder, and the sentence had been upheld by three courts before receiving final approval from the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.
Taliban authorities identified the executed man as Mangal, son of Tlah Khan, who was accused of killing Abdul Rahman, son of Zabet. Officials said the victim’s family had been asked to consider forgiveness, but they refused, clearing the way for the sentence to proceed.
Judicial officials in Khost described the execution as the eleventh carried out under Taliban rule since 2021. They added that two additional defendants connected to the same case have also received death sentences, but their executions remain pending because the victim’s family has not yet appeared in person—a requirement under Taliban practice.
Human rights organizations and the United Nations have repeatedly urged the Taliban to halt public executions and corporal punishments, citing the absence of legal safeguards and independent defense counsel in Taliban-run courts. Despite those appeals, the group continues to implement public lashings and executions in several provinces.
Residents were instructed not to bring smartphones into the stadium, a restriction the Taliban say is necessary for “public order,” but critics argue it is intended to limit documentation of such events. Observers say the large crowds drawn to these punishments reflect both local curiosity and the Taliban’s intent to use public justice as a display of authority.
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