UN finds torture, ill-treatment in Afghan prisons

Around a third of all conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan say they have suffered from torture or ill-treatment, the UN said in a report Wednesday.

UN officials interviewed a total of 618 detainees held in 77 government facilities across the country between January 2017 and December 2018. The alleged torture included beatings, suffocation and electric shocks, ABC News reported.

The joint report by the UN mission to Afghanistan and the UN Human Rights Office said 32 of detainees reported torture or mistreatment, down from 39 during the previous reporting period, from January 2015 to December 2016.

The US-backed Afghan government is holding thousands of detainees, many of them captured as part of the ongoing war with the Taliban. The insurgents have made major gains in recent years and now effectively control half the country. Widespread corruption and distrust of the government has undermined efforts to combat the Taliban.