Taliban demands return of Afghan convicts amid executions in Iran

In the context of ongoing concerns about human rights, the Taliban has approached the Iranian government regarding the fate of Afghan convicts held in Iran. This discussion follows alarming reports indicating that Iran executed 49 Afghans within the span of 2024. Those executions reflect a broader trend in which Iran, identified as a leading nation in capital punishment, has reportedly executed a total of 651 individuals during the first ten months of the year. The situation raises pressing questions about the future of Afghan prisoners, especially since the Taliban has a controversial human rights record that casts doubt on its ability to safeguard the rights of individuals returning to Afghanistan. In a separate but linked development, the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, reported significant numbers of Afghan migrants being deported from Iran. Over 550,000 Afghans were expelled in the first nine months of 2024 alone. While the Taliban has urged Iran to provide safe passage and release Afghan convicts, many experts are skeptical about whether the returnees will see their sentences honored or if the Taliban will provide adequate care and rehabilitation for these individuals. Additionally, the plight of Afghan citizens is compounded by the Taliban's inability to improve basic living conditions, such as electricity supply, since their return to power three years earlier. With rampant inflation, firewood and coal choices are now prohibitively expensive for impoverished residents. The poor infrastructure and harsh living conditions raise serious concerns about the Taliban's governance amid a difficult humanitarian crisis. As Afghanistan continues to face multiple challenges, the lack of commitment to uphold human rights standards becomes ever more apparent, particularly as the Taliban’s implementation of capital punishment underscores their rigid adherence to extremist interpretations of Shari’a law. International bodies have called for an immediate end to such practices, viewing them as violations of rights established by global standards, adding pressure on the Taliban to reconsider its approach to justice and human rights.