The use of torture in Afghan detention centres is on the wane but still widespread, the UN has said.

In particular, the country’s intelligence services and the national police continue to use torture systematically in several detention centres around the country, the report found.

“Torture is a very serious crime, for which there can be no justification. The international prohibition is absolute,” the UN high commissioner for human rights, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said in a statement accompanying the publication of the report on Wednesday.

The report is the third of its kind in four years, and is based on interviews with almost 800 detainees who had been held in 221 different detention facilities. Most of the detainees were suspected or convicted of crimes related to the armed conflict.



35% of the interviewed prisoners had experienced torture or ill-treatment, a 14-point drop from 2013, when UN last issued a similar report.



The UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (Unama) attributes the improvements to the Afghan government. In 2013, following the last UN survey, the then president, Hamid Karzai, issued a decree to ban and take action against torture. His successor, Ashraf Ghani, has promised to continue to improve prison conditions.



Nicholas Haysom, UN’s senior envoy to Afghanistan said in a statement: “In particular, Unama welcomes the incoming government’s commitment to implement a new national plan on elimination of torture.”



Sediq Sediqqi, an interior ministry spokesman, said the government would intensify its efforts to “totally eradicate” the use of torture. “We will investigate and look into the findings of the report, and prosecute those who have committed these crimes,” he said. However, he added: “Torture is not systematic, it’s only committed by a few people.”



The torture experienced by prisoners included severe whippings with cables, pipes and other objects, full-body beatings, twisting of genitals and threats of execution and sexual assault. Detainees said they had nails pulled out and were forced to drink excessive amounts of water, put in stress positions and subjected to electric shock. After their interrogation, some detainees were forced to video-record confessions and sign statements denying that they had been coerced.



In 2013, following the last UN detention report, Nato revised and reduced the number of Afghan facilities they would transfer prisoners to. Yet, for the UN’s recent report, 36 prisoners said they had been tortured in Afghan detention centres after being detained by international forces or in operations overseen by international forces.



Brian Tribus, director of public affairs for Nato’s Resolute Support mission, said it is the policy of Nato and US forces in Afghanistan to hold any individual involved in the abuse of detainees personally accountable.



He added that the end of Nato’s combat mission has had a “significant impact on the ability of international military forces to directly monitor or influence the detention practices” of the Afghan government.



“As such, international military forces are no longer directly engaged in detaining people in Afghanistan or transferring persons into [Afghan government] custody,” Tribus said.

