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Rights groups dismayed by Afghanistan's return to executions
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/21/us-afghanistan-executions-idUSBRE8AK1HP20121121Rights groups dismayed by Afghanistan's return to executions
By Mirwais Harooni
KABUL | Wed Nov 21, 2012 6:03pm EST
(Reuters) - Human rights groups reacted with dismay on Wednesday to Afghanistan's resumption of executions after a near-four-year moratorium on a penalty that characterized the austere rule of the former Taliban regime.
Eight men found guilty of "crimes against the people, especially women and children" were hanged on Tuesday and eight more were to meet the same fate either on Wednesday or Thursday, according to a government official.
This alarmed activists who said the return of executions in a country with a weak judiciary was a setback.
"The death penalty is an act of cruelty that should never be used," said Brad Adams, Asia director at the New York-based Human Rights Watch.