Herat Prison, with a capacity of housing more than 15,000 prisoners at a time, was opened to prisoners after the rise of the Taliban. In August, nearly 4,000 terrorists, criminals and murderers were released from Herat prison. The Taliban are reportedly filling the prison with political critics, intellectuals, civil society and women’s rights activists, and individuals affiliated with the former government.
Five months ago, Dr. Amruddin Nouri was killed in Herat province; a doctor who was shot by minor Taliban soldiers at a checkpoint in Herat. Amruddin Nouri had just gotten married. He was shot and killed by the Taliban as a result of not noticing a checkpoint in the cinema square of Herat. After that incident, the Taliban imprisoned the culprit. He is now released and has rejoined his family on the occasion of Eid. The Taliban’s move comes as a journalist and two civil society activists are sentenced to one to two years in prison each for allegedly criticizing the Taliban on Facebook in a court set up by the Taliban in Herat. The Taliban’s move has provoked strong reactions of the people and critics on social media channels.
The Taliban about a month ago arrested Khalid Qaderi, a journalist and media activist in Herat. A Taliban court in Herat ruled a month later that Qaderi should spend a year in jail for writing a comment against the Taliban on Facebook. Meanwhile, two civil society activists in the province have been sentenced to one to two years in prison for posting their personal views on Facebook.
Sources told Hasht-e Subh that one of these civil activists is Fayyaz Ghori. According to these sources, Fayyaz Ghori is a supporter of Atta Mohammad Noor and has criticized the Taliban on social media, specifically Facebook. Fayyaz Ghori was arrested near the governor office.
“We live in a country where the crime of writing a critical post on social media is more serious than shedding the blood of educated youth,” a social media user wrote in response to the Taliban’s move on Facebook. Another Facebook user wrote: “The Taliban treat people with brutality, lacking logic and tolerance toward criticism. “The murders are released and the critics are being imprisoned.”
What Is Going On in Herat Prison?
The gates of Herat Prison were opened to all prisoners after the rise of the Taliban in the province. More than 4,000 prisoners were released from the prison. But now Herat prison cells are full. The cells are full of prisoners who are jailed for no specific reasons. Taliban have imposed certain restrictions on the bases of vague religious arguments, which usually causes the civilians and residents in different part of the country to end up into prison jail for not obeying or missing obeying the orders.
For more than four months, some people have been in prison without a court decision, awaiting a final decision from the Taliban court. An unnamed source released recently from the Taliban’s prison in Herat told Hasht-e Subh that the Taliban have imprisoned a large number of people, including children on the bases of very minor charges of social interferences which are very normal in human society, but are not according to Taliban’s ideology. “There is no place to sit or stand in the prison cells,” the source added. “Everyone is in the worst condition. There is no enough food to eat and no adequate place to sleep.”
According to the source, the Taliban are not able to feed the prisoners like the previous government. According to the source, the Taliban have ordered prisoners’ families to bring them food. Meanwhile, only one private trading company in Herat province has the contract to provide food to prisoners who does not have the capacity to response effectively. “The number of prisoners is very high,” The Taliban, forces the prisoners share one plate in two persons. The number of prisoners is unfortunately increasing on daily basis with no plan and effective managment.”
How Does the Taliban Treat Prisoners?
According to sources, the Taliban do not treat prisoners properly in Herat Prison. Prisoners are often insulted, humiliated, beaten, and even tortured by the Taliban. Prisoners in Herat are currently in the worst possible condition.
According to a document obtained by Hasht-e Subh., the head of the Taliban court in Herat province has issued an official order to prison guards, requesting that a person detained in a legal dispute over a car be detained in a room and only through a hole provide him a loaf of food and water. “He must be kept in isolation and give him water and food through a hole and do not allow anyone to visit him,” the letter further states.
In the previous government, there were vocational training courses such as carpentry, electrician, metalwork, tailoring and other professions in a part of the prison building, in the prison that when a person was being released out of prison, he could be integrated in the job market, but now there is no such programs. The Taliban propagate religion for prisoners instead. The vocational programs are replaced with torture and punishment programs that Taliban prison guards entertain, punishing the prisoners.