The leader of the Taliban, Mawlavi Hibatullah Akhundzada, announced his intention to start public executions of women by stoning to death as a symbol of the struggle against Western democracy.
“You say it's a violation of women's rights when we stone them to death. However, we will soon introduce penalties for adultery. We will flog the women in public. We will stone them to death in public. All of this is against your democracy, but we will continue to do it. Both sides say they are defending human rights, but we are doing it as a representative of God and you are doing it as a representative of the devil,” Akhundzada said in a voice-over address to Western officials broadcast on state television last weekend.
Despite the promise of a more moderate government, the Taliban quickly resumed the practice of public executions and floggings that had characterized their previous rule in the 1990s. The United Nations expressed outrage at these actions, calling on the country's leadership to stop these practices.
In his address, Akhundzada used radical interpretations of Islamic Sharia to justify his actions, emphasizing that it was a means of fighting against the influence of Western democracy.
These words caused outrage in the international community and among the Afghan population, which demands a change of approach and increased international pressure on the Taliban.
According to Tala, a former Afghan civil servant, the money the Taliban receives as humanitarian aid goes to support their harsh regime, which threatens women's rights and the overall well-being of the country.
