Nearly a third of Afghan detainees tortured in security cases: UN
KABUL (REUTERS) – Nearly a third of the people held by Afghan authorities for suspected security and terrorism-related offences are subjected to torture or mistreatment in detention centres, a United Nations report said on Wednesday (Feb 3).
The report, released jointly by the UN mission to Afghanistan and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, concluded that the percentage of detainees who had been tortured had fallen slightly over a 15-month period till March 2020 to 30.3 per cent from 31.9 per cent in the previous two years, but remained “alarming”.
The Afghan government did not immediately respond to multiple calls seeking comment.
“Torture can never be justified. It has lasting consequences for victims, their families and society,” Ms Deborah Lyons, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, said in the report.
Militant violence has witnessed a resurgence across the country even as peace talks proceed with the Taleban militant group in Qatar.
The Afghan government is under pressure to stem a wave of targeted killings that occur almost daily, which they and some foreign players have blamed on the Taleban, though the group denies responsibility.
On Wednesday, a blast in Kabul killed a police officer and unknown attackers killed a religious leader in the southern city of Kandahar and a judge in the eastern city of Jalalabad.
Efforts have been made by some government institutions to halt the use of torture, the UN report said, but added that much more was needed to bring it to an end, including improving training for law enforcement agencies.
The report was based on interviews with 656 detainees held in 63 facilities in 24 provinces across the country between Jan 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020, when interviews had to stop because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The report said it could not assess the treatment of prisoners held by the Taleban and other anti-government groups, as investigators lacked access to their facilities.
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