UN finds torture, ill-treatment in Afghan prisons

KABUL, Afghanistan – A U.N. report says around a third of all conflict-related detainees in Afghanistan report being subjected to torture or ill-treatment.

U.N. officials interviewed a total of 618 detainees held in 77 facilities across the country between January 2017 and December 2018. The alleged torture included suffocation, electric shocks, pulling of genitals and suspension from ceilings.

The U.N. mission to Afghanistan and the U.N. Human Rights Office released the joint report on Wednesday.

The U.S.-backed Afghan government is holding thousands of detainees, many of them captured as part of the ongoing war with the Taliban.

The Taliban 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 insurgency.