Overcrowding: Nangarhar inmates contract diseases

JALALABAD (Pajhwok): The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) regional office in eastern Nangarhar province has said the province’s main prison is packed beyond capacity.

Irfanulllah Lawari, AIHRC observing and evaluating head for the eastern zone, told Pajhwok Afghan News during an interview yesterday that they visited all prisons in the zone 120 times this year to conduct their evaluation of living conditions in the jails.

He expressed deep concern over Nangarhar’s prisoners’ situation as compared to the jails in its three neighboring provinces.

He said the central jail in Jalalabad, Nangarhar’s capital, was built around 50 years back for 900 inmates, but now more than 2000 people were held there.

He said, “The prison in a very bad situation, we have shared the issue with government officials, but so far no one paid attention.”

Lawari said some prisoners had contracted different skin and other diseases due to overcrowding and lack of space.

He said the AIHRC viewed such living conditions tantamount to torturing the prisoners. He urged the authorities concerned to take measures for inmates’ health.

Meanwhile, Nangarhar’s deputy governor Arif Momand also confirmed the overcrowding issue in the Jalalabad central jail and said efforts were underway construct a new budding for the prison.

He said a plan was ready to construct a new building for prisoners outside the city in order to facilitate both the inmates and their attendees.

Abdul Wali Hesarak, Nangarhar prison director, told Pajhwok the Jalalabad jail was constructed for 900 prisoners, but currently it housed 2,455 prisoners including 49 women.

He said the Ministry of Interior has allocated budget for the new prison building and it would be constructed within next one year.

He said the new building would be constructed  on 50 acres of land in Farmhada area of Behsud district.

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