25 August 2010 - It might be a prison, but inmates in the only jail in Afghanistan’s eastern Laghman province say that living conditions have improved dramatically thanks to the assistance of the international community.

General Dawlat Mahmad Aziz, the manager of Laghman prison, said the facility which used to house 226 inmates in two rooms received a complete facelift last year after it requested assistance from the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).

“UNAMA had earlier raised the issue with the provincial governor and PRT [Provincial Reconstruction Team] of Laghman, to draw attention to the war-affected two-room prison,” said Naqib-u-rahman Qazizada, Human Rights Officer eastern regional office of UNAMA.

"According to the minimum prison standards, the inmates should have access to adequate standards of living, such as cubic content of air, floor space, lighting, heating, and ventilation, adequate food, drinking water, health facility and their personal integrity,” added Qazizada.

The PRT provided financial support for three buildings, while the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) constructed a kitchen, at a cost of US$ 480,000.

One inmate, who has spent the past five years incarcerated for killing a neighbour, said 25 prisoners had shared a room before the new buildings were constructed.

“We were really in trouble during night times because police chained all of us with each other to make sure we didn’t escape. Now we have comfortable rooms, training opportunities and learning courses,” he said.

In addition to 24-hour health services, the prisoners can also take literacy and English-language courses taught by a prisoner, a police officer and three professional teachers whose salaries are provided by the Ministry of Education.

There is also a vocational training programme run by one of the prisoners and a civil servant that teaches inmates carpet weaving, tailoring and handicrafts. Some prisoners sell their products to visitors and staff members of the prison twice a week.

“I am very satisfied with the positive treatment of prison management,” said another prisoner convicted of anti-government activities.

Meanwhile, neighbouring Kunar province has also constructed a new facility for inmates. However, the problem persists in Afghanistan’s largest eastern province, Nangarhar, where construction is lagging behind the growing need for prison space.

By Shafiqullah Waak, UNAMA