Pul-e-Charkhi prison
Encyclopedia
Pul-e-Charkhi also known as Afghan National Detention Facility, is the largest prison
in Afghanistan
east of Kabul
. Construction of the jail began in the 1970s by order of former president Mohammed Daoud Khan
and was completed during the 1980s. The prison became notorious for torture
and executions after the 1978 Saur Revolution
as well as during the 10 year Soviet war
that followed. Between April 1978 and the Soviet invasion of December 1979, the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
(PDPA) under Nur Muhammad Taraki
executed
around 27,000 political prisoners at Pul-i-Charki. The Afghan National Army
's 201st Corps
is based nearby Pul-e-Charkhi.
The prison has been renovated in recent years by the help of the United States Army Corps of Engineers
. In 2007, the U.S. military
began transferring some of its detainees from Bagram Air Base
in Afghanistan to the Pul-e-Charkhi prison. By January 2008, 125 detainees from Bagram dentention facility
and 32 detainees from the U.S. Guantanamo Bay detention camp had been transferred to Pul-e-Charkhi. By September 2009, the U.S. had transferred some 250 former detainees from its Guantánamo detention camp to Pul-e-Charkhi, often to the shock of their waiting families, according to Human Rights First
(HRF).
(ISAF) and is believed to hold some 2,000 bodies. Officials of the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture
believe that the massacre took place between 1978 and 1986 when the Moscow-backed communist presidents, Nur Muhammad Taraki
, Hafizullah Amin
and Babrak Karmal
were in power.
s. A subsequent shoot-out left one Iraqi and three Pakistani prisoners and four Afghan police dead. Then, in January 2006, seven prisoners escaped, apparently by mingling with visitors.
On 26 February 2006 riots were apparently sparked by a new prison policy forcing prisoners to wear bright orange clothing, the colored clothing rule was enacted to avoid events similar to the January escape. The February 2006 riot resulted in six deaths, and 22 injured in critical condition according to the International Committee of the Red Cross
. The rioters used makeshift weapons to attack guards, then ignited furniture, and smashed doors and windows. Eventually, they took over a wing of the prison which they held for a few days.
On 16 March 2008, after a two-week dispute over arrests following an attempted jail-break, inmates rioted and took over sections of the building. Gunfire was heard in the complex and inmates claimed to be holding hostage two Afghan national soldiers. The hostage-takers threatened to kill the captured soldiers unless mediators were sent in to resolve the conflict. As of 18 March the conflict remained unresolved and Afghan police and military were arriving in force in preparation to raid the prison.
Guantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba
.
The Americans planned to transfer most of the captives held in extrajudicial detention
in Guantanamo, and in its less well known Bagram Theater internment facility
to Afghan custody.
United States President Bush
negotiated a tentative deal with Afghan President Hamid Karzai
that the Afghans would accept prisoners from the Americans if the Americans expanded and modernized Afghan facilities and trained, and paid the salaries of the additional Afghan guards that would be required.
The initial plan called for reducing the maximum number of men held per cell from the current eight, to just two.
For security reasons every cell would be equipped with its own toilet, replacing the current insecure method of letting all the captives leave their cells and share a single toilet at the end of each cell-block.
Under this initial plan the modernization of this wing would cost $20 million USD, and would have a maximum capacity of 670 captives.
However, after a tour of the facility, during its modernization, it was realized that, for cultural reason, captives could not be expected to share a toilet with another man. Afghan's cultural modesty would not allow a captive to use a toilet with another man present, cutting the capacity of the modernized facility in half.
On May 6, 2007, two American soldiers, Colonel James W. Harrison Jr. and Master Sergeant Wilberto Sabalu, part of the oversight team, were shot dead by one of the Afghan guards. This forced a delay on construction as all the guards underwent new security checks.
Finally, there was controversy within the Afghan Cabinet as to which ministry would be responsible for the modernized part of the prison.
By January 2008, 32 captives from the US Guantanamo facility and 125 captives from the US Bagram detention center had been transferred to Pul-e-Charkhi. The Center for Constitutional Rights
reported that all of the Afghans repatriated to Afghanistan from April 2007 were sent to the Pul-e-Charkhi prison.
In February 2009 a team from the United Kingdom's Channel 4
toured the American wing of the prison.
By September 2009 the US had transferred some 250 former detainees from its Guantanamo Bay detention camp to Pul-e-Charkhi, often to the shock of their waiting families, according to Human Rights First
(HRF).
mirror mirror
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
east of Kabul
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
. Construction of the jail began in the 1970s by order of former president Mohammed Daoud Khan
Mohammed Daoud Khan
Sardar Mohammed Daoud Khan or Daud Khan was Prime Minister of Afghanistan from 1953 to 1963 and later becoming the President of Afghanistan...
and was completed during the 1980s. The prison became notorious for torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
and executions after the 1978 Saur Revolution
Saur Revolution
The Saur Revolution is the name given to the Communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan takeover of political power from the government of Afghanistan on 28 April 1978. The word 'Saur', i.e...
as well as during the 10 year Soviet war
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
that followed. Between April 1978 and the Soviet invasion of December 1979, the communist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan
The People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan was a communist party established on the 1 January 1965. While a minority, the party helped former president of Afghanistan, Mohammed Daoud Khan, to overthrow his cousin, Mohammed Zahir Shah, and established Daoud's Republic of Afghanistan...
(PDPA) under Nur Muhammad Taraki
Nur Muhammad Taraki
Nur Muhammad Taraki was an Afghan politician and statesman during the Cold War. Taraki was born near Kabul and educated at Kabul University, after which he started his political career as a journalist...
executed
Capital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
around 27,000 political prisoners at Pul-i-Charki. The Afghan National Army
Afghan National Army
The Afghan National Army is a service branch of the military of Afghanistan, which is currently trained by the coalition forces to ultimately take the role in land-based military operations in Afghanistan. , the Afghan National Army is divided into seven regional Corps. The strength of the Afghan...
's 201st Corps
201st Corps (Afghanistan)
The 201st 'Selab' Corps of the Afghan National Army is a corps-sized formation created from 2004. The establishment of the corps started when the first commander and some of his staff were appointed on 1 September 2004. Its headquarters are at Pol-e-Charkhi, near Kabul...
is based nearby Pul-e-Charkhi.
The prison has been renovated in recent years by the help of the United States Army Corps of Engineers
United States Army Corps of Engineers
The United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
. In 2007, the U.S. military
United States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
began transferring some of its detainees from Bagram Air Base
Bagram Air Base
Bagram Airfield, also referred to as Bagram Air Base, is a militarized airport and housing complex that is located next to the ancient city of Bagram, southeast of Charikar in Parwan province of Afghanistan. The base is run by a US Army division headed by a major general. A large part of the base,...
in Afghanistan to the Pul-e-Charkhi prison. By January 2008, 125 detainees from Bagram dentention facility
Bagram Theater Internment Facility
The Parwan Detention Facility , also called the Bagram Theater Internment Facility, is a United States-run prison located next to Bagram Airfield in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan.It was formerly known as the Bagram Collection Point...
and 32 detainees from the U.S. Guantanamo Bay detention camp had been transferred to Pul-e-Charkhi. By September 2009, the U.S. had transferred some 250 former detainees from its Guantánamo detention camp to Pul-e-Charkhi, often to the shock of their waiting families, according to Human Rights First
Human Rights First
Human Rights First is a nonprofit, nonpartisan human rights organization based in New York City and Washington, D.C....
(HRF).
Mass grave
A communist-era mass grave, close to the Poli Charkhi prison, was discovered in December 2006 by the NATO-led International Security Assistance ForceInternational Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
(ISAF) and is believed to hold some 2,000 bodies. Officials of the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture
Council of Ministers (Afghanistan)
The Council of Ministers was the governmental organ in the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and later the Republic of Afghanistan. The leader of the Council of Ministers choose ministers for the different ministeral posts in the country. Under the leadership of Nur Mohammad Taraki, Hafizullah...
believe that the massacre took place between 1978 and 1986 when the Moscow-backed communist presidents, Nur Muhammad Taraki
Nur Muhammad Taraki
Nur Muhammad Taraki was an Afghan politician and statesman during the Cold War. Taraki was born near Kabul and educated at Kabul University, after which he started his political career as a journalist...
, Hafizullah Amin
Hafizullah Amin
Hafizullah Amin was the second President of Afghanistan during the period of the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan....
and Babrak Karmal
Babrak Karmal
Babrak Karmal was the third President of Afghanistan during the period of the communist Democratic Republic of Afghanistan. He is the best known of the Marxist leadership....
were in power.
Living conditions
The living conditions of the prison have been criticized by several human rights groups. The prison had been cited as overcrowded and the living conditions as sub-par. There are eight cell blocks but only three are being used which has caused overcrowding. There are also about 70 female prisoners who are housed in a special female section of the prison.Riots and escapes
In December 2004, foreign prisoners attacked guards with razor bladeRazor blade
Razor blade may refer to* A razor* The Razor Blade, a 1920s racing car* Razor blade steel, a type of steel originally designed specifically for razor blades...
s. A subsequent shoot-out left one Iraqi and three Pakistani prisoners and four Afghan police dead. Then, in January 2006, seven prisoners escaped, apparently by mingling with visitors.
On 26 February 2006 riots were apparently sparked by a new prison policy forcing prisoners to wear bright orange clothing, the colored clothing rule was enacted to avoid events similar to the January escape. The February 2006 riot resulted in six deaths, and 22 injured in critical condition according to the International Committee of the Red Cross
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross is a private humanitarian institution based in Geneva, Switzerland. States parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005, have given the ICRC a mandate to protect the victims of international and...
. The rioters used makeshift weapons to attack guards, then ignited furniture, and smashed doors and windows. Eventually, they took over a wing of the prison which they held for a few days.
On 16 March 2008, after a two-week dispute over arrests following an attempted jail-break, inmates rioted and took over sections of the building. Gunfire was heard in the complex and inmates claimed to be holding hostage two Afghan national soldiers. The hostage-takers threatened to kill the captured soldiers unless mediators were sent in to resolve the conflict. As of 18 March the conflict remained unresolved and Afghan police and military were arriving in force in preparation to raid the prison.
American expansion
The United States has repeatedly announced that it will be shutting down itsGuantanamo Bay detention camps, in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
.
The Americans planned to transfer most of the captives held in extrajudicial detention
Extrajudicial detention
Arbitrary or extrajudicial detention is the detention of individuals by a state, without ever laying formal charges against them.Although it has a long history of legitimate use in wartime , detention without charge, sometimes in secret, has been one of the hallmarks of totalitarian states...
in Guantanamo, and in its less well known Bagram Theater internment facility
Bagram Theater Internment Facility
The Parwan Detention Facility , also called the Bagram Theater Internment Facility, is a United States-run prison located next to Bagram Airfield in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan.It was formerly known as the Bagram Collection Point...
to Afghan custody.
United States President Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
negotiated a tentative deal with Afghan President Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
that the Afghans would accept prisoners from the Americans if the Americans expanded and modernized Afghan facilities and trained, and paid the salaries of the additional Afghan guards that would be required.
The initial plan called for reducing the maximum number of men held per cell from the current eight, to just two.
For security reasons every cell would be equipped with its own toilet, replacing the current insecure method of letting all the captives leave their cells and share a single toilet at the end of each cell-block.
Under this initial plan the modernization of this wing would cost $20 million USD, and would have a maximum capacity of 670 captives.
However, after a tour of the facility, during its modernization, it was realized that, for cultural reason, captives could not be expected to share a toilet with another man. Afghan's cultural modesty would not allow a captive to use a toilet with another man present, cutting the capacity of the modernized facility in half.
On May 6, 2007, two American soldiers, Colonel James W. Harrison Jr. and Master Sergeant Wilberto Sabalu, part of the oversight team, were shot dead by one of the Afghan guards. This forced a delay on construction as all the guards underwent new security checks.
Finally, there was controversy within the Afghan Cabinet as to which ministry would be responsible for the modernized part of the prison.
By January 2008, 32 captives from the US Guantanamo facility and 125 captives from the US Bagram detention center had been transferred to Pul-e-Charkhi. The Center for Constitutional Rights
Center for Constitutional Rights
Al Odah v. United States:Al Odah is the latest in a series of habeas corpus petitions on behalf of people imprisoned at the Guantanamo Bay detention center. The case challenges the Military Commissions system’s suitability as a habeas corpus substitute and the legality, in general, of detention at...
reported that all of the Afghans repatriated to Afghanistan from April 2007 were sent to the Pul-e-Charkhi prison.
In February 2009 a team from the United Kingdom's Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
toured the American wing of the prison.
By September 2009 the US had transferred some 250 former detainees from its Guantanamo Bay detention camp to Pul-e-Charkhi, often to the shock of their waiting families, according to Human Rights First
Human Rights First
Human Rights First is a nonprofit, nonpartisan human rights organization based in New York City and Washington, D.C....
(HRF).
External links
- Kabul's prison of death
- Conclusion of a 2006 riot
- 2006 riot info with information on previous prison failures
- Policharki riots
mirror mirror
- Human Rights First; Undue Process: An Examination of Detention and Trials of Bagram Detainees in Afghanistan in April 2009 (2009)
- Human Rights First; Arbitrary Justice: Trial of Guantánamo and Bagram Detainees in Afghanistan (2008)
- Lyse Doucet's (BBC Newsnight, Afghanistan) full film from inside Pul-e-Charkhi prison