KABUL, Afghanistan — The United Nations says Afghan authorities are still torturing prisoners, such as hanging them by their wrists and beating them with cables, a year after the U.N. first documented the abuse and the Afghan government promised detention reform.
In a report issued on Sunday, the U.N. says there has been little progress in curbing abuse in Afghan prisons despite a year of effort by the U.N. and international military forces in Afghanistan. The report also cites instances where Afghan authorities have tried to hide mistreatment from U.N. monitors.
Aimal Faizi, a spokesman for the Afghan president, says it was not Afghan policy to torture or abuse prisoners.
He says the government has started investigating and will take action regarding cases of abuse mentioned in the U.N. report.
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