The UN says more than one-third of Afghans detained on allegations related to the conflict in the nation reported they were tortured or mistreated.
In a report released on February 25, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said 278 detainees out of 790 interviewed said they had been tortured or mistreated between February 2013 and December 2014.
This marks a fall from the previous period, during which nearly half of all detainees said they were mistreated.
The torture methods used to obtain information and confessions included severe beatings, suspension from walls or ceilings, electric shocks, and near-asphyxiation.
The report said a "persistent lack of accountability" for the use of such methods allows torture to continue.
The Afghan government questioned some of the incidents of abuse documented in the report and said others were carried out by individuals acting on their own, AP news agency reported.