Taliban Release Hundreds of Prisoners from Helmand Prison on Eid al-Fitr, Officials Say
Taliban prison officials in Helmand province announced the release of 596 prisoners from the central prison on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, with sentence reductions applied to 162 or 163 others.
Maulvi Baheddin Atef, head of Helmand prisons, told Bakhtar News Agency that the releases were based on a special decree from Amir al-Mu'minin. Both Afghanistan International and Bakhtar News reported the figure of 596 releases in Helmand, with minor variance in the number of sentence reductions.
Separately, the Taliban's media office in Nangarhar province said 377 prisoners were released from the central prison there, including 22 women and 26 children, according to Mawlawi Sohail Saeed, head of prisons in the province. Sentence reductions were also granted to 351 others, based on a ruling from the Taliban's Supreme Court, Afghanistan International reported.
In Kandahar, Rafiullah Sahibzada, spokesman for the prison directorate, said 201 prisoners were released and sentence reductions applied to 393 others, Bakhtar News reported. Sheikh Maulvi Mohammad Mohammadi, head of the Kandahar Appellate Court, and Maulvi Mohibullah Garmasiri, head of Kandahar Prison, congratulated the released prisoners and urged them to follow Islamic Sharia principles, avoid crimes and use vocational skills to support their families.
Taliban announcements did not specify the crimes for which the prisoners were convicted or the length of their sentences.
Know more about this story?
If you have additional information or believe something is inaccurate, let us know. Your tips help us stay accurate.
Where reports agree
- Taliban authorities released 596 prisoners from Helmand central prison on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr
- Sentence reductions applied to approximately 162-163 prisoners in Helmand
- Releases attributed to Taliban officials, with named spokespersons (Mawlawi Sohail Saeed/Atef)
Where reports differ
- Provinces involved: Afghanistan International reports Nangarhar and Helmand (total ~973 released); Bakhtar News reports Kandahar and Helmand (total ~797 released)
- Details on women/children releases only in Nangarhar per Afghanistan International
- Sentence reduction numbers minor variance in Helmand (163 vs 162)
More in Politics
Taliban Publishes New Law Regulating Religious Preachers
Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Marks 34th Anniversary of 1992 Mujahideen Victory
Officials and Religious Scholars Convene in Ghazni to Implement Decree on Social Spending
Islamic Emirate Supreme Leader Approves Law Regulating Religious Preachers
ReliableTaliban Publishes New Law Regulating Religious Preachers
The Taliban have published a new Preachers Law in their official gazette requiring religious clerics to follow the Hanafi school and teach the "virtue of jihad" under ministry supervision. The seventeen-article decree formalizes state oversight of religious instruction as part of a broader administrative standardization effort.
ReliableIslamic Emirate of Afghanistan Marks 34th Anniversary of 1992 Mujahideen Victory
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan officially commemorated the 34th anniversary of the Mujahideen’s 1992 victory over the communist regime, while citizens and analysts reflected on the subsequent civil war and its lasting impact.
ReliableOfficials and Religious Scholars Convene in Ghazni to Implement Decree on Social Spending
Officials and religious leaders in Ghazni province convened to implement Decree No. 17, which aims to curb excessive social spending and reform customs to ease economic pressures. Minister of Information and Culture Sheikh Shir Ahmad Haqqani urged community cooperation to enforce the five-article directive.
ReliableIslamic Emirate Supreme Leader Approves Law Regulating Religious Preachers
The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has approved the Muhtasibin law, which standardizes the duties and ethical standards of religious preachers. The Ministry of Justice confirmed the legislation’s publication in the Official Gazette, with implementation to be overseen by the Ministry of Vice, Virtue and Complaints.