The Afghan Government on July 5, revealed one of the main reasons behind the delay in the intra-Afghan negotiations, saying it is not releasing 597 prisoners of the 5,000 inmates, reports Tolo News.
These individuals are accused of “crimes and moral issues” and are on a list that was given to the Government by the Taliban, said Ahmad Rashid Totakhil, Head of the Prisoners’ Release Affairs. “'Murderers’ are on the Taliban list and the government has resisted. It is a (victims’) rights issue and the law does not allow to release someone under the pretext of being a Taliban member, who is charged with murder or even moral crimes like rape,” Totakhil said.These individuals were to be freed as part of the confidence-building measures established in the US-Taliban agreement signed in February 29, 2020.