AFGHANISTAN: TALIBAN HANG MAN IN PUBLIC IN HERAT AFTER EXECUTION-STYLE SHOOTING

September 9, 2025:

Sources have confirmed that Taliban members in western Afghanistan shot a man dead and hanged his body in public on August 22, 2025.
Witnesses told Amu that the man was hanged from an old tank at the busy Kandahar Gate area of Herat, where a large crowd gathered to watch. Videos circulating on social media showed Taliban members kicking the body in the head and face as bystanders filmed the scene. In the footage, a Taliban fighter identified the man as a member of an armed opposition group and accused him of killing two Taliban members, including Mawlawi Hassan Akhund, the commander of Taliban’s 10th security district in Herat.
The opposition group “Nahzat Azadi-Bakhsh Islami Mardom Afghanistan” — which has claimed responsibility for attacks in western Afghanistan — had said earlier this week it was behind the assault that killed Akhund. A piece of paper bearing the words “Death to the Nahzat Azadi-Bakhsh Afghanistan group” was also seen attached to the corpse.
The Taliban’s Herat police command later issued a conflicting statement on X, formerly Twitter, claiming the man was only suspected of theft. The statement said he was identified by residents, detained during a Taliban operation, and “eliminated.” Rights activists condemned the act as an unlawful killing.
“Taking away someone’s right to life without a fair trial and due process is a blatant violation of human rights,” said Hadi Farzam, a human rights activist. “Hanging the body in public after the killing is a direct affront to human dignity.” A member of the Window of Hope women’s movement told Amu that Taliban trials deny defendants the right to lawyers or defense. “The Taliban’s use of executions and corporal punishment is intensifying, and taking away the right to life contradicts both justice and Islamic principles,” she said. Tweet This is not the first such incident. In recent years, the Taliban have carried out multiple public executions. Last year, four men accused of kidnapping were shot and hanged in Herat, while earlier this year four more people were executed in Farah, Nimroz, and Badghis provinces.