KABUL (SW) – In a press conference at Pul-e-Charkhi Prison in Kabul, officials at the Islamic Emirate’s Supreme Court have announced that based on the leader of the Islamic Emirate’s decree and the decision of the Court, more than 2,000 prisoners will be released on occasion of Eid al-Fitr.
Abdul Wali Mahmood, the deputy of the Supreme Court, stated that the period of sentence of some other prisoners have also been reduced. “Most of the prisoners have committed criminal offenses, and they were detained on charges of moral corruption and theft, and those accused of serious crimes are not included in this process.”
Officials added that in the first phase of prisoner release, 406 prisoners, including 40 women and 28 children, were released from Pul-e-Charkhi prison on Saturday. They emphasized this process will be completed by Eid.
Meanwhile, Abdullah Hamdard, acting and deputy head of the Prisons Regulation Administration, said, “Prisoners who have shown remorse for their crimes and have demonstrated rehabilitation in their behavior are being released today.”
Previously, the Office of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) stated that the Islamic Emirate mistreats prisoners in Afghan prisons.
However, Habibullah Badr, military deputy of the Prisons Regulation Administration, denies any inappropriate treatment and torture of prisoners in the prisons. He said, “It is propaganda that prisoners are tortured in Afghan prisons, and no one proves that prisoners are tortured.”
On the other hand, Shah Rahman Anas, who was released from Pul-e-Charkhi Prison, said that his sentence period was six months, with two months remaining, and he has been granted clemency. “I had two months left of my sentence, and now I am happy to be released close to Eid.”
The Prisons Regulation Administration had previously stated that about 16,000 people, including 1,000 women, are imprisoned across Afghanistan.
