Hamid Karzai, the President of Afghanistan signed for the executions of 16 prisoners. This has been very rare in Afghanistan since the Taliban rule. Karzai has rarely signed off to have people executed, in the past decade he’s only signed off to 3 people. The crimes committed by the prisoners were ranging from murder, rape, to kidnapping and treason. President Karzai has mentioned that he’s not afraid to sign off more executions if crime doesn’t lower. Outcry over violent crime had been rising for the past few years. Also, his tactics are however asserting more independence from Western advisors. The last executions in Afghanistan were two men who were convicted of a mass killing in a Kabul Bank branch. Before that there were 15 killed in a firing squad in October 2007. Human rights advocates are arguing with Karzai’s execution tactics, arguing that the judicial process is flawed.
Separate from the executions, a military court appeal from an Afghan army solider was sentenced to death for killing five French soldiers. Attacks from Afghan soldiers towards NATO service members have fluctuated over the past year. The violence is shaking the trust between the Afghan people and the Westerners helping them. The French officially ended their eleven year combat mission in Afghanistan on Tuesday. Of the 2,200 remaining soldiers in Afghanistan only 1000 will remain to repatriate military equipment.
I believe in the death penalty, but for something big, that’s affected a large potion of people. I don’t think it’s fair that Afghan president Hamid Karzai is allowed to execute 16 people, but I feel that he may have a purpose for doing so.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/21/world/asia/afghan-president-approves-execution-of-prisoners.html
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