Abdullah Shah
Abdullah Shah | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 |
| Died | 20 April 2004 (aged 38–39) Kabul, Afghanistan |
| Other name | Zardad's dog[1] |
Criminal status | Executed |
| Conviction | Murder (20 counts)[2] |
Criminal penalty | Death |
| Details | |
| Victims | 20+[2] |
| Country | Afghanistan |
Abdullah Shah (1965 – 20 April 2004) was an Afghan serial killer and former military commander who was convicted in Kabul of killing more than 20 people, including his wife. He was sentenced to death following his conviction.[2]
Shah was executed in Kabul on 20 April 2004. His execution was the first officially sanctioned execution in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban regime in late 2001.[2] International organizations subsequently raised concerns about the fairness of his trial and the use of the death penalty in Afghanistan.[3]
Biography
[edit]Shah served under Zardad Khan—even earning the nickname Zardad's dog—who served under Gulbuddin Hekmatyar in the civil war in Afghanistan (1992–1996).[2] Shah and Zardad robbed travellers on the road from Kabul to Jalalabad.
He was first convicted in special court proceedings in October 2002. Nine people testified against him at the trial, including another wife he tried to set on fire. The bodies of many of Shah's victims were found in a well in Paghman District.[4]
The execution took place in the Pul-e-Charkhi jail. Interim president Hamid Karzai signed the death warrant.[2] At the execution, Shah was shot in the back of the head. Witnesses present included representatives of the Afghan police, the Attorney General's office and doctors.
Amnesty International protested against the execution claiming Afghanistan avoided basic standards of fairness. The organization added that Shah was probably silenced so he could not testify against commanders allied to the government.[2] It said he was not provided with a defence attorney, the trial was secret, a confession was obtained under torture and the first judge in his case was dismissed for taking a bribe.[5][4] The second judge came under pressure from the Supreme Court to impose the sentence.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Revealed at last: art film of an Afghan warlord's 'human dog'". The Independent. 16 January 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Former Afghan commander executed". BBC News. 27 April 2004. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- ↑ "Report of the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston" (PDF). United Nations. Retrieved 8 August 2026.
- 1 2 Constable, Pamela (23 October 2002). "Conviction of a Brutal Killer Leaves Afghan Justice on Trial". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
- ↑ Dixon, Robyn (24 November 2002). "A Milestone for Afghan Justice -- or Lack of It". Los Angeles Times. Kabul. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.