Stoning of Rukhshana

Rukhshana (born c. 1996) was a 19-year-old Afghan girl who was stoned to death by the Taliban in 2015 in Ghor Province, Afghanistan, on charges of adultery. The incident occurred when Rukhshana and her 23-year-old fiancé fled their homes in an attempt to get married. Upon being captured, Rukhshana was stoned to death, while her fiancé was flogged. her father, Abdul Karim, However, Rukhshana refused the marriage and fled with a boy she had dreamed of marrying since childhood, named Mohammad Gul. Rukhshana's father was asked to attend the execution site and witness her stoning in person.

Released video During Rukhshana's stoning, a video was recorded showing several armed men and young males placing her in a pit up to her neck and pelting her with stones.

However, in 2017, Mawlawi Saadiyar, a key Taliban commander involved in Rukhshana's stoning, surrendered to government forces and, suffering from illness, was placed under medical care. After his arrest, the Taliban made multiple attempts to secure his release.

Saadiyar was responsible for killing dozens of civilians in addition to his role in Rukhshana's stoning. A member of the terrorist group ISIS, he was released after only two months in prison.

Reactions

Rukhshana's stoning sparked widespread national and international reactions. The then-President of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, condemned the incident as a crime and formed a delegation comprising representatives from the Ministry of Interior, Attorney General's Office, National Security, Local Governance Administration, and the Independent Human Rights Commission to investigate the case. Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi, a representative of the House of the People in the National Assembly of Afghanistan, condemned the crime and called for severe punishment for the perpetrators.