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       KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban government released 2,463 prisoners ahead of Eid, the supreme court said on Saturday.

       The court said on X that “2,463 prisoners who were eligible for amnesty were released, while 3,152 others received sentence reductions” as per a decree by the Taliban supreme leader.

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       While the exact number of prisoners held by various security bodies in Afghanistan is unclear, the UN has warned of a growing prison population in the country.

       A spokesman for the Office of Prison Admin-istration claimed that between 11,000 and 12,000 convicted prisoners were in the authority’s custody. Around the same number are in detention awaiting trial, sentencing or appeal, he added.

       The UN Mission to Afghanistan warned of high volumes of arrests and lengthy jail-time sentences putting “unsustainable pressure on prison facilities”.

       Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2025