PUL-I-ALAM (SW): Juvenile prisoners in eastern Logar province have charged they have been bitterly tortured during custody by the police who allegedly used to beat them with iron rods and give them electric shocks.
Talking exclusively to Salam Watandar, some of these children said that they have been wrongly accused of terrorism on ethnic bias. They added that the police torture them harshly to confess the crimes they have never committed.
Most of these children have been captured while planting landmines, planning to conduct suicide attacks and committing other terrorist activities.
A number of provincial council members and the family members of these children assert such behavior by the law enforcement agencies would create a huge gap between the people and the government. They warned, if such practice was not stopped, they would take to the streets against the police.
Dr. Abdul Wali Wakil, a PC member noted that low education level among the law enforcement agencies was one of the main reasons behind torture in prisons against minors.
Salim Saleh, spokesman of the provincial governor said in this regard that the government would try its best to ensure no laws are undermined in prisons.
Logar Police Chief Muhammad Dawood Ahmadzai however, rejected the allegations. He said the prisoners level such allegations to defame the police.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in a report that cases of torture in prisons across Afghanistan has declined by 14 percent. This report was formed after consultations with 790 prisoners that were arrested on terrorism charges.
The reasons for decrease in cases of torture were named as improved surveillance, educational programs for security officials and replacement of interrogation tactics.
ENDS
