Taliban Justice; Former Soldier Sentenced to Prison and Torture Without a Lawyer.
Local sources in Parwan Province confirmed on Tuesday, July 29, that a Taliban military court has sentenced Mahmud Afzali, a former soldier of the Special Police Unit, to two years and six months in prison without the presence of a defense lawyer.
The verdict was issued despite the trial being conducted without legal and defense standards.
Afzali is a resident of Qala Mir village in Jabal al-Saraj district and was arrested by Taliban intelligence on June 15. The Taliban has tried him on charges of drug trafficking;
However, his family considers this charge to be fabricated and a pretext for his arrest and torture.
According to sources, Afzali had sought refuge in Iran after the fall of the republic, but upon returning to the country, he was arrested and subjected to severe torture. This action is considered part of a series of arrests and pressure by the Taliban on former soldiers.
During the four years of Taliban rule, there have been numerous reports of the detention, torture, and killing of former soldiers. In the most recent case, the body of a former soldier was found in Ghor province, allegedly murdered by the Taliban.
The arrest and conviction of Mahmud Afzali without due process has once again raised concerns that the Taliban are using the justice system as a tool to suppress dissent and eliminate prominent military figures.
