Over 400 Afghan Refugees Released From Prisons in Pakistan and Iraq
Tawazon – The Taliban’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation says that 403 Afghan migrants have been released from prisons in Pakistan and Iraq and have now returned to the country.
In a statement issued on Thursday, November 27, the ministry said that 400 Afghans ddetainees were freed from Pakistani prisons and entered Afghanistan through the Spin Boldak crossing in Kandahar.
The ministry added that three other Afghan rrefugees were freed from prisons in Iraq and repatriated to the country.
According to the ministry, the returnees had spent around two months in detention in Pakistan, while those imprisoned in Iraq had been hheld for more than five months.
The releases come as Pakistan continues mass expulsions of Afghan refugees, a campaign underway since early November that has pushed hundreds of thousands to leave the country.
Human rights groups have urged regional governments to ensure due process and humane treatment for detained Afghan migrants, many of whom were jailed for lacking valid residenc documents rather than for criminal offenses.
