A 13-year-old Afghan boy publicly shot and killed the man who murdered his family, in an execution carried out under Taliban rule and witnessed by a crowd of over 80,000 people in Afghanistan’s southeastern Khost province.

According to foreign reports, a huge crowd of men filled a sports stadium to watch the execution, which human rights activists condemned as inhuman and cruel. The Taliban barred spectators from bringing camera phones, but footage recorded from outside the stadium showed tens of thousands gathered for the spectacle.

The man, identified as a resident of Paktia province, was convicted along with two others of killing 13 members of the boy’s family, including women and children. 

Afghanistan’s three-tier court system, the lower court, the appeals court, and the Supreme Court, upheld the death sentence, and Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada gave final approval.

According to the Supreme Court, relatives of the victims were offered the option to forgive the convicted man, which would have spared his life. They refused, choosing the death penalty. 

Khost police spokesperson Mustaghfir Gorbaz said the execution was carried out by a family member of the victims.

The Supreme Court said prayers were offered at the end of the gathering, calling for stronger national security, improved access to justice, and strict implementation of Islamic law.

Executions for two other men convicted in the same case are pending because all heirs of the victims were not present. 

This marks the 11th execution since the Taliban returned to power and reinstated their hardline interpretation of Sharia, under which crimes such as murder, adultery and theft can result in execution, amputation or flogging.

Since taking over in 2021 after the withdrawal of US and NATO forces, the Taliban have also banned Afghan women and girls from secondary school, universities and most jobs.