Afghanistan frees another 55 Bagram prisoners

Afghan prisoners are greeted by their relatives outside the Parwan Detention Facility after their release in Bagram Airbase, northern Kabul yesterday.

Afghan authorities said yesterday 55 prisoners who were found “not guilty” were released from the Bagram prison, which had been under US authority until 2012. Afghan President Hamid Karzai last year formed a special committee to review prisoners who were deemed not guilty of any crime. “We reviewed 104 cases in the past four months. There wasn’t enough evidence and documents to prove the guilt of these 55 inmates, so we released them,” said Abdul Shakoor Dadras, who heads the government panel reviewing the cases. “Forty-five others were introduced to the attorney general’s office, as their cases were a little complex,” he said.