KABUL: According to the Supreme Court, the Supreme leader of the Taliban, Hibatullah Akhundzada released orders to free 2,178 prisoners ahead of Eid-al-Adha, Khaama Press reported. The statement said that at least 489 other prisoners were given reduced sentences for Eid.
The Khaama Press News Agency is the largest online news service for Afghanistan, established in October 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. According to Helmand Province's Deputy Head of Information and Culture on Monday, at least 118 prisoners were freed from the provincial prisons.
However, according to the report, some of their inmates have completed their prison terms while others were punished by whipping, as per Khaama Press. Moreover, some rights and education activists are still imprisoned and are not freed yet. Matihullah Wesa is one of the activists who has not been freed.
Matiullah Wesa was unlawfully detained by the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence (GDI) on March 27 this year, as he left the mosque after evening prayers. The day after his detention, the GDI raided his home and seized his laptop and mobile devices, reported Khaama Press. Although, the spokesperson of the Taliban announced his detention on March 29 and charged him with criminal activity. There is no way to protest the legitimacy of his detention.
Moreover, his family is also not allowed to visit him, according to Khaama Press. The Taliban authorities have not released him despite the massive condemnation.