Iran’s Deputy Minister of Justice for Human Rights and International Affairs, Askar Jalalian, on Wednesday announced plans to transfer 500 Afghan prisoners to Afghanistan as part of the first phase of a broader prisoner transfer initiative.
According to Iranian media reports, Jalalian revealed that approximately 8,000 foreign nationals are incarcerated in Iran, with Afghan citizens constituting the majority.
“We have prepared a list of 500 prisoners and submitted it to the Afghan side [the Taliban] for identity verification. Once their review is complete, the transfer process will begin,” Jalalian said.
He noted that most Afghan prisoners in Iran are serving sentences for drug trafficking, smuggling of prohibited goods, theft, and homicide. Jalalian emphasized that drug-related offenses represent the majority of crimes and that Iran’s criminal law is “particularly stringent” in addressing such cases.
Bilateral agreement guides transfer
The prisoner transfer process is based on a 2006 agreement between Iran and Afghanistan, according to Jalalian.
The initiative is expected to continue into the following year, with the aim of completing two to three transfer phases by the end of the Iranian calendar year in March.
Earlier in November, a delegation from Iran’s Ministry of Justice, led by Jalalian, visited Kabul to discuss prisoner exchanges with Taliban officials. The talks also included discussions about transferring Iranian prisoners held in Afghanistan back to Iran.
