Stoning adulterers as a legitimate punishment for their crimes is to become legal in Afghanistan, an Afghan official said on Monday. This comes after a steady wave of foreign troop withdrawals following the removal of the Taliban from power over a decade ago.
The official, Rohullah Qarizada, said openly in an official statement that his government: “Was working on the draft of a sharia penal code where the punishment for adultery, if there are four eyewitnesses, is stoning.”
Human rights have been a sore issue in Afghanistan for many years, especially when it comes to the rights of woman. Years of work and billions of dollars appear to have been wasted as the Afghan government openly passes antiquated laws like stoning adulterers.
It was common back in the days when the militant Taliban controlled the streets for public beatings, stonings, and executions to take place in city centers. Girls were not allowed to attend school and woman were not allowed out alone.
In an incident over the weekend, two lovers escaped a stoning in Baghlan near to Kabul but were then shot to death later in public. Khadija Yaqeen, the head of woman’s affairs in the province said about the incident:
“While they were fleeing, suddenly their car crashed and locals arrested them. People wanted to stone them on the spot but some elders disagreed. The next day they decided and shot both of them dead in public. Our findings show that the woman’s father had ordered to shoot both man and woman.”
Bead Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch, was also shocked by the killing of the young couple, saying: “It is absolutely shocking that 12 years after the fall of the Taliban government, the Karzai administration might bring back stoning as a punishment.”
What is your opinion on the new law which makes stoning adulterers legitimate in Afghanistan? Do you think it is a totally immoral law or are you of the belief, religiously or otherwise, which promotes such behavior? Share your comments in the feed below.