UN Report - Taliban and Drugs

A recent report for the United Nations Security Council states that the Taliban are now engaging more and more in drug trafficking and criminal activities. According to the report there is a new "scale and depth" to the Taliban's integration with criminal networks. Read more in "Afghan Taliban now smuggle drugs and gems like mafia: U.N. report", Reuters, February 11, 2015.

Amnesty International Protests Hanging of Five Afghans

Amnesty International is calling the recent hanging of five Afghan men an "affront to justice". The five men were convicted of armed robbery and zina (sex outside of marriage) - the crimes were committed against four women who were raped within earshot of their captive husbands. The executions were the first in Afghanistan in 2014. The trials proceeded rather quickly, some critics say in response to the public demand for a speedy resolution, and Amnesty International is questioning the proceedings. The men were first sentenced on September 7th. Their sentence was upheld in an appeals court on September 15th and by the Afghan Supreme Court on September 24th. Of course, Amnesty International is opposed to the death penalty no matter how fair the trial is so  . . . Read more in "Afghanistan: Execution of five men an affront to justice", Amnesty International, October 8, 2014.