Taliban Foreign Ministry Launches Effort to Gather Data on Afghan Prisoners in Iran

The Taliban-run Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the launch of a new initiative to collect data and statistics on Afghan prisoners being held in Iran. According to a statement released by the ministry, the aim of this effort is to assess the legal and judicial conditions of Afghan nationals incarcerated in Iranian prisons.

The ministry’s Consular Affairs Department has requested that the families and relatives of Afghan prisoners fill out a special information form created by the ministry and submit it via WhatsApp to the number +93782446045.

The ministry did not clarify whether this initiative is being coordinated with Iranian diplomatic institutions or what specific program it falls under. It also remains unclear how many Afghan citizens are currently imprisoned in Iran or the nature of the charges against them.

Following the collapse of Afghanistan’s democratic system and the contentious state of its diplomacy under Taliban rule, concerns have grown over the ability to effectively and transparently address the plight of Afghan prisoners abroad. Many families have also voiced frustration with the lack of transparency, accountability, and responsiveness from Taliban institutions regarding consular and human rights matters.