Striking prisoners’ number rises to 167

FARAH CITY (PAN): The number of prisoners, who have been on hunger strike over the past 11 days at the central jail in western Farah province, has risen to 167, an official said on Tuesday.

Around 20 inmates, including two women, began the hunger strike on Nov 9, insisting their names had been dropped from beneficiaries of a presidential decree.

Col. Abdul Qayyum Azimi, the jail superintendent, on Tuesday told Pajhwok Afghan News the two women had abandoned the strike, but another 149 prisoners had joined it.

Among the protesting inmates, 22 had their lips stitched, said Azimi, who alleged the inmates were not allowing medical staff to enter the cells for a checkup.

Deputy Governor Mohammad Younus Rassouli said a delegation had been tasked with closely observing the health condition of the strikers. He also said the prisoners had been denying to allow anybody get inside their cells. The deputy governor said none of the striking inmates was in bad health condition.

A civil society, Hiwad Adabi Maraka Association, head in Farah, Abdul Wadood Himmat, on Monday said he had met with some of the protesting prisoners and discussed with them their problems.

He said the inmates were in good health condition and their demand was that senior officials from Kabul should visit them and hear their problems.

But Rassouli called the demand as illegal, saying he had requested the Supreme Court to find a solution to the problem.

mds/ma

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