Fourteen years after a public execution for alleged adultery, the Taliban's renewed grip on power in Afghanistan is raising alarms about the return of extreme brutality, particularly for women. In 2012, a 22-year-old woman identified as Najiba was shot and killed in a "desert court" for alleged infidelity, a case that drew international condemnation and underscored the precarious status of women's rights.
This execution, reportedly carried out by her husband after a swift judgment by Taliban militants, foreshadows the current reality for Afghan women. In January, the Taliban reintroduced a decree reinstating the death penalty for blasphemy and vaguely defined "immoral" or "corrupt" offenses. Rights organizations warn that such measures disproportionately affect women, who are often prosecuted for offenses related to morality, including fleeing forced marriage or domestic violence.
Michelle Shahid from Equality Now stated that the death penalty, stoning, and public floggings are likely to fall hardest on Afghan women. Medica Mondiale described the current situation as "gender apartheid," highlighting the systematic violations of fundamental rights and increasing exclusion from public life.
The 2012 incident in Qōl-e Hir, Parwan province, saw Najiba executed by firing squad after being accused of running away from her husband and allegedly having a relationship with a Taliban commander. Her husband reportedly took her to a Taliban official to settle the "dispute," leading to her torture and execution. At the time, officials condemned the act as "un-Islamic and inhuman," and President Hamid Karzai launched a manhunt for those responsible, though no further reports on the case emerged.
International leaders and NATO commanders at the time expressed shock and disgust. The execution also sparked protests within Afghanistan, with hundreds of women demanding protection and justice.
Experts note that since the withdrawal of U.S. forces in 2021, the Taliban have enacted nearly 100 edicts that have stripped women of their rights, including barring them from secondary education, prohibiting employment, and removing minimum marriage age requirements. The ministries and justice systems that previously enforced women's rights have been abolished.
Human rights organizations report that public punishments, while perhaps less visible than in the past due to censorship and restrictions on filming, are likely occurring. Shaharzad Akbar of Rawadari indicated that her organization has received reports of women being stoned and anticipates that severe and inhumane punishments may be happening away from public view. This has instilled widespread fear among women who worry about facing cruel punishments for perceived transgressions against the Taliban's strict governance.