Iran Transfers Around 2,000 Afghan Prisoners to Taliban Authorities

DID Press: Taliban’s prison administration has announced that approximately 2,000 Afghan prisoners have been transferred from Iran to Afghanistan since the group took control in August 2021.

According to the Taliban-run General Directorate of Prisons, nearly 2,000 Afghan inmates have been handed over by the Islamic Republic of Iran over the past five years. Spokesperson Mohammad Nasim Lalhwand said some of these individuals have completed their sentences under Taliban custody and have been released, while others remain imprisoned.

He stated that Iran has transferred Afghan prisoners after completing legal and administrative procedures. Lalhwand added that only in the past year, about 408 Afghan inmates were transferred in two separate phases.

The statement comes after a recent meeting between Taliban diplomat Fazl Mohammad Haqqani and Askar Jalalian, Iran’s Deputy Minister for Human Rights and International Affairs at the Ministry of Justice. Both sides reportedly discussed resuming prisoner transfers and expanding judicial cooperation.

Taliban officials say continued coordination could accelerate prisoner transfers and strengthen legal frameworks between the two sides.