US denounces Taliban plans to resume executions

The United States on Friday denounced remarks that a top Taliban official made in an interview with The Associated Press in which the member mentioned the Taliban’s plans to resume amputations and executions.

State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Friday during a phone briefing that the actions “would constitute clear gross abuses of human rights,” and emphasized that the Taliban is going to be held accountable, Reuters reported.

On Thursday, the AP published an interview that the news outlet conducted with one of the founders of the Taliban, Mullah Nooruddin Turabi. Turabi explained that the insurgent group had plans to resume the criminal punishments. 

During previous Taliban rule, the group shot murderers, cut off a foot and hand of highway robbers and cut off one hand of thieves. Turabi told the AP that the Cabinet is going to “develop a policy” on the criminal punishments, including whether they would be done in public. 

But he defended the use of executions and amputations for criminals, telling the AP, “Cutting off of hands is very necessary for security.”

When those punishments were previously enforced under the last Taliban rule, they were condemned by the international community, according to the AP.

World leaders are hesitant to recognize the Taliban’s Cabinet as the official government of Afghanistan, concerned that the insurgent group will rule again under the old guard, including going after enemies and not respecting the rights of women.

The U.S. has said the Taliban’s actions toward human rights will reflect whether the country recognizes them, Reuters reported.

However, Turabi pushed back at past criticisms of the criminal punishments, telling the AP, “Everyone criticized us for the punishments in the stadium, but we have never said anything about their laws and their punishments.”

“No one will tell us what our laws should be. We will follow Islam and we will make our laws on the Quran,” he added.