More than 1,100 individuals in Taliban-run prisons are awaiting execution or punishment under Qisas, a form of retaliation in kind, according to Habibullah Badar, the deputy head of the Taliban’s Office of Prison Administration.
Badar stated that those awaiting punishment have been convicted of crimes including theft and kidnapping.
During an interview with Amu, Badar also mentioned that three American detainees are not being held in prisons managed by the Office of Prison Administration, but that approximately 150 other foreign nationals are in Taliban custody.
This comes as a recent report from the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights detailed widespread violations in Taliban-controlled detention facilities. Between January 2022 and July 2023, the U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented more than 1,600 violations during arrests and detentions, many of which are attributed to the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior and intelligence services.
“Approximately 50 percent of those violations involved torture or other forms of ill-treatment, predominantly during the interrogation of detainees,” the report noted. It also highlighted systemic violations of detainees’ rights to access legal representation, communicate with family members, receive medical care, and appear before judges, as well as instances of arbitrary and prolonged detention.
Badar revealed that between 500 and 600 individuals have been sentenced to death, while 400 others face Qisas punishments. He refrained from disclosing details about the methods of execution or corporal punishment, but said, “According to Sharia, whatever the decision is, it will be implemented.”
The Taliban-run prison system currently holds around 33,000 inmates, of whom 11,000 have been sentenced by Taliban courts, and 12,000 are awaiting court decisions. Approximately 1,000 of the prisoners are women.
When asked about specific punishments such as amputation, Badar responded, “It’s a matter for the judiciary. If you ask the Supreme Court [of the Taliban], they will provide a complete response.”
Regarding the three Americans reportedly held by the Taliban, Badar said they are not under the administration’s custody. The U.S. government has identified the prisoners as Mahmood Habibi, Rayan Corbett, and George Glezmann. “You may ask those who hold them,” Badar said, without specifying which Taliban faction was responsible.
Human rights activists have raised concerns that the Taliban is reverting to its harsh practices from the 1990s, when it first ruled Afghanistan. Despite repeated reports from the U.N. and other human rights organizations documenting abuses and torture in Taliban prisons, officials have consistently dismissed the allegations as baseless.
