Taliban leader: “Corporal punishment and executions will return to Afghanistan”

Mullah Nooruddin Turabi is a founding member of the Taliban and, during their previous seizure of power in the 1990s, was Minister of Justice and head of the religious police responsible for implementing strict Islamic teachings. Then, among other things, executions took place in a football stadium with hundreds of spectators. Today Turabi is in charge of the prisons.

In a interview with the AP press agency he denounces the agitation over the public executions and warns the rest of the world not to interfere with the new Afghan rulers. “Everyone criticizes us for the sanctions in the stadium, but we never said anything about their laws and their sanctions,” he said. “No one will tell us what our laws should be. We follow Islam and make our laws based on the Quran.”

It remains to be seen whether the sentences will be publicly re-enforced in the future. According to Turabi, this is currently under review and policy will follow.

The leader wants to allow television, cell phones, photos and videos “because it is necessary for the people”. He calls the media a good way to spread ideals. “Instead of hundreds of people, millions of people are watching.” He adds that if the punishments are applied publicly again, people will be allowed to take photos and videos to spread the deterrent effect.

According to AP, there have already been a few examples of old corporal punishment in the capital Kabul last week. For example, men convicted of “minor offenses” were tied to a van and driven through town with their faces painted. What exactly the men did is unknown.