Kabul to Tehran: Extradite remaining prisoners

KABUL (Pajhwok): The caretaker government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has asked Iranian authorities to extradite the remaining Afghan prisoners, an official said on Wednesday.

IEA deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said so far about 4,000 Afghan prisoners had been extradited by Iran to Afghanistan.

On Aug 4, Iran’s Human Rights Organization (HRO) said in a report Tehran had executed 300 individuals, including 20 Afghans, in the first seven months of 2024.

In a message, Fitrat said: “As you know there are millions of Afghan refugees living in Iran. Of course, some of them may have problems or have committed crimes.

“IEA has made frequent contacts with Iranian officials regarding the extradition of Afghani prisoners from that country and there has been some coordination and progress.”

So far about 4,000 Afghan prisoners had been extradited to Afghanistan, Fitrat said, citing efforts by the incumbent government.

He added: “Sometimes we see reports about the execution of Afghan prisoners or their convictions in Iran, IEA wants the issue to be handled carefully and shared with the judiciary of Afghanistan.

“Convicts must be extradited to Afghanistan to serve their punishments in accordance with the laws of this country,” the official argued.

The exact number of Afghans in Iranian prisons is not clear, but a judicial official of that country recently said 95 percent of foreign prisoners were Afghan nationals.

aw/mud