Over 500 women charged with various crimes imprisoned in Afghanistan: Report

Kabul [Afghanistan], July 8 : Officials at Afghanistan's Prisons Administration have said more than 500 women charged with various crimes are imprisoned in the country's prisons, TOLO News reported.

TOLO News is an Afghan news channel broadcasting from Kabul.

As per officials, in total, there are over 17,000 prisoners in the country's prisons.

The deputy head of the Office of the Prisons Administration, Habibullah Badar, said the Taliban has instructed prison officials to not punish the prisoners.

Badar said that there are no political inmates in Afghanistan's prisons.

"The number of women in the prisons is between 500 to 550. Some are being detained and some are released ... We are trying to release them if their crime is less," he said, as per TOLO News.

As per political analysts, male and female prisoners should be provided with equal rights.

A political analyst, Javid Momand, said: "The right of a prisoner is that efforts should be paid for their reform. As you see in other countries, prisons are like universities. There are educational programs and when they are released to society, they are disciplined."

"The women in the prisons have the right to have access to their families, lawyers and human rights organizations and the right to defend themselves," said Ruqia Sayi, a women's rights activist, as per TOLO News.