3.500 Pul-i-Charkhi inmates on hunger strike

Thousands of prisoners in the Pul-i-Charkhi jail in Kabul have been on hunger strike over the past four days, with some stitching up their mouths, an official said on Tuesday.
Ibadullah Karimi, spokesman for the General Directorate of Jails and Detention Centers, told Pajhwok Afghan News the inmates’ demand fell outside the ambit of law. The prisoners had not complained about food or water, he said.
Karimi put at 2,000 the number of inmates at the Pul-i-Charkhi prison on the eastern outskirts of Kabul. Another 1,500 inmates are special prisoners.
He added that the prisoners, accused of internal security crimes and other heinous offenses, wanted their death penalties to be commuted into life imprisonment.
The official said 25 to 30 inmates had sewn their lips shut. On Monday, they were evacuated to hospital due to their deteriorating condition.
The issue had been shared with the authorities concerned and the hunger strike would hopefully be called off soon.