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US, UK and EU condemn Pakistan military courts over sentencing of civilians

Military courts sentenced civilians over 2023 attacks after ex-PM Khan's arrest; the ruling came days after the former prime minister was indicted by an anti-terrorism court

Published: Tue 24 Dec 2024, 1:36 PM

Updated: Tue 24 Dec 2024, 1:47 PM

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Black smokes billows from a building set ablaze by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party activists and supporters of former Pakistan's prime minister Imran during a protest against the arrest of their leader, in Peshawar on May 10, 2023. — AFP file

Black smokes billows from a building set ablaze by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party activists and supporters of former Pakistan's prime minister Imran during a protest against the arrest of their leader, in Peshawar on May 10, 2023. — AFP file

The US, UK and EU criticised Pakistan's military courts on Monday over the sentencing of 25 civilians in connection with attacks on military facilities in 2023 after the arrest of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan.

The civilians were sentenced by a Pakistani military court to periods of two to 10 years in a ruling that underscored concerns among Khan's supporters that military courts will play a bigger role in cases related to the former leader.

Washington "is deeply concerned that Pakistani civilians have been sentenced by a military tribunal for their involvement in protests on May 9, 2023," the US State Department said.

The British government's foreign office added that "trying civilians in military courts lacks transparency, independent scrutiny and undermines the right to a fair trial."

The European Union said the sentences were "inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights."

Khan supporters attacked military installations to protest his arrest by paramilitary soldiers.

The ruling on Saturday came days after Khan was indicted by an anti-terrorism court. After his arrest in May 2023, Khan was briefly released before being arrested again in August that year and he has since been in jail.

He has faced dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022, after which he launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

Khan says cases against him, which disqualified him from contesting the 2024 elections, are politically motivated.



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