MOSCOW, October 8 (RIA Novosti) - Amnesty International has urged the Afghan government to abolish death penalty and condemned the execution of five men convicted of gang rape and armed robbery, the statement on the organization's website said Wednesday.
"The death penalty is an abhorrent form of punishment and should never be used under any circumstances. The many fair trial concerns in this case only make these executions more unjust," Amnesty International quoted its Asia-Pacific Deputy Director David Griffiths as saying.
"Amnesty International continues to campaign against rape and other sexual attacks globally and in Afghanistan. But the death penalty is not justice – it only amounts to short-term revenge," Griffiths added.
Amnesty International states that President Ghani "regrettably failed his first test on upholding human rights and the rule of law."
"It's deeply disappointing that new President Ashraf Ghani has allowed the executions to go ahead," the organization's statement read.
Five men were hanged Wednesday in Pul-e-Charkhi jail in relation to the gang rape that took place on August 22. They were sentenced to death on September 7. The sentence was confirmed and approved by the then-President Hamid Karzai last month.
These executions were the first in Afghanistan this year, with 300 more prisoners currently on death row.
