Hanged men’s bodies released to families

KABUL (Pajhwok): The corpses of five men executed a day earlier at the Pul-i-Charkhi prison and of a notorious criminal Habib Istalif were on Thursday handed over to their families, an official said.

The five were hanged on Wednesday afternoon days after they were convicted of sexually assaulting four women and robbing the victims of valuables in August in the Paghman district of Kabul.  

Forensic Department official Abdul Matin Salangi told Pajhwok Afghan News they received the six bodies on Wednesday and released two of them to their relatives the same day.

The remaining four bodies, including that of Habib Istalif, were handed over to their families on Thursday morning.

Ziaur Rahman, a shopkeeper near the Forensic Department, confirmed handover of the bodies on Wednesday and Thursday.

Paghman police chief Col. Amrullah confirmed bodies of the five rapists had been received by their relatives in the town, the scene of the gang-rape incident.

Former President Hamid Karzai had approved and signed the execution order for the five rapists and Islatif before leaving office last month.

However, Amnesty International had asked the Afghan government to stay the death sentences. Human Rights Watch (HRW) had also called for withdrawal of execution orders. Three suspects in the case remain at large.

Istalif had been convicted of numerous crimes, including murders, armed clashes with security forces, kidnappings and his links to international mafia groups.

mds/ma

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