Authorities vow changes after hunger strike

KABUL (Agencies): The government has vowed to meet demands voiced by the inmates in the Pol-e-Charkhi central jail after hundreds of prisoners held hunger strikes to protest what they called “mistreatment and bad food”.

Farhad Bayani, spokesman of prisons, said Sunday in a voice message that the prisoners’ demands would be assessed in an exclusive meeting by the judiciary committee.

“The meeting is to be held on Monday under second vice president to discuss the inmates’ demands and make decisions to resolve,” Bayani said.

The prisons department says that a number of prisoners have gone to hunger strike for three days and want a general amnesty based on presidential order regarding military prisoners, drug traders and elderly people.

The department said that a new procedure to be made to manage meetings between prisoners and their families and relatives.

Some inmates say they are on hunger strike for more than a week, while the jailers take less care of them.

“The condition of prisoners is as critical as they faint every where even in the bathrooms,” said Omar Torjan, a prisoner.

“Our representatives are threatened by the jailers to put us in solitary confinement cells.”

They claim that they have pardoned by a presidential decree, but are still held because they do not have money to pay bribe, their relatives are not allowed to meet them and their food is not good.