A military court in Pakistan on Thursday sentenced 60 supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan to two to 10 years in prison for attacking military facilities.
Those convicted include the 72-year-old jailed leader’s nephew and two former army officers, according to a report by the Pakistan Army’s media wing. Khan has been in jail since August 2023 facing multiple charges including corruption, treason and inciting violence against the army.
“The country, the government and the armed forces remain steadfast in their commitment to upholding justice and ensuring that the inviolable authority of the state is upheld,” the military statement said.
The sentencing came less than a week after a military court sentenced 25 members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party on similar charges.
The charges against Khan supporters stem from nationwide protests in May 2023, during which protesters attacked and vandalized several military installations in an unprecedented display of public outrage against the powerful Pakistani institution.
PTI has rejected “secret” military tests. Khan and his associates have denied any wrongdoing, saying intelligence agency operatives had infiltrated among “peaceful” PTI protesters and carried out the brutality to justify a subsequent state crackdown on the opposition party. Was. Government officials rejected it.
Last week, PTI’s initial group of 25 members were sentenced to “rigorous imprisonment” of up to 10 years, sparking an international reaction.
The United States urged Pakistani authorities to respect the right to a fair trial and due process consistent with the country’s Constitution.
“The United States is deeply concerned that Pakistani civilians have been sentenced by a military tribunal. …These military courts lack guarantees of judicial independence, transparency, and due process,” a State Department statement on Monday said.
Britain also criticized Pakistan for trying civilians in military courts, saying they lacked “transparency, independent investigations” and undermined the “right to a fair trial”.
The European Union condemned the sentencing of Pakistani civilians by military courts and described the practice as “incompatible with the obligations undertaken by Pakistan under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”.
The Pakistani government has defended the military trials and subsequent convictions, saying that they preserve the right to a fair trial and allow appeals within military tribunals and civilian courts.
“We have also underlined on several occasions that the Constitution of Pakistan and the legal system of Pakistan have the capacity to resolve any issues that arise internally,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch said in her weekly press conference on Thursday. ” ,[The] The Pakistani system provides for judicial review by higher courts. … We will continue to uphold our obligations under our Constitution and under Pakistani law and international law.