Afghan Taliban carry out sixth public execution since 2021

Taliban authorities in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday executed a convicted murderer by gunfire at a sports stadium, in the sixth public execution since their return to power according to an AFP tally.

The man was shot with three bullets in front of thousands of spectators in Gardez, the capital of Paktia province, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.

The evening before the execution the governor's office called on officials and residents to "attend this event" on social media.

Afghanistan's supreme court named the man as Mohammad Ayaz Asad and said in a statement he had been "sentenced to retaliation punishment" for shooting another man, Habibullah Saif-ul-Qatal, after his case was "examined very precisely and repeatedly".

Public executions were common during the Taliban's first rule from 1996 to 2001, but only a handful have been carried out since their return to power in August 2021.

In February, three public executions were carried out within a week.

Two men were executed by multiple gunshots to the back in front of a large crowd in eastern Ghazni city, followed days later by a similar public execution in northern Jowzjan province.

Corporal punishments -- mainly flogging -- have been common under the Taliban authorities and employed for crimes including theft, adultery and alcohol consumption.

The United Nations and rights groups such as Amnesty International have condemned the Taliban government's use of corporal punishment and the death penalty.