Pakistan faces criticism after military court convicts 25 civilians

The European Union on Sunday condemned Pakistan’s military court verdict against 25 supporters of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, affirming that the verdicts violate the country’s international obligations to ensure fair and public trials for civilians. Are.

As the Pakistan Army announced on Saturday, the individuals were prosecuted and sentenced to “rigorous imprisonment” ranging from two to 10 years in connection with attacks on military facilities during nationwide anti-government protests in May 2023.

The statement did not provide further details or publicize the verdict, promising to announce sentences for the remaining dozen accused “in connection with the violence once the appropriate process is completed.”

In a statement issued on Sunday, the EU expressed concern over the sentencing of 25 citizens.

“These decisions are considered inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),” it said.

The multilateral treaty obliges states to provide individuals with a “fair and public hearing in an independent, impartial and competent court, and including the right to adequate and effective legal representation.”

The EU said the treaty mandates that any judgment handed down in a criminal case be made public.

The statement stressed that countries benefiting from the EU’s Generalized Preferences Scheme Plus or GSP+ facility, including Pakistan, have voluntarily agreed to effectively implement 27 international core conventions, including the ICCPR.

The GSP+ designation gives zero import duty on more than two-thirds of the tariff lines when exporting to the EU, providing Pakistan, a cash-strapped country, with a major and important trading partner.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI party, which led anti-government protests last year, immediately rejected the decisions as a gross violation of human rights and the rule of law within the country. The party has long insisted that the riots were the result of operatives within the military infiltrating peaceful protesters.

“The real criminals ran a false flag operation that day and now they are using military trials to serve as judge, jury and executioner and kill innocent civilians,” PTI said in a tweet on its are targeting.”

Since August 2023, Khan has been jailed and faces multiple charges, including allegedly inciting attacks against military facilities, when nationwide protests erupted last year demanding his release. Were in police custody.

Pakistan’s prestigious English language dawn The newspaper criticized the military conviction in a Sunday editorial.

“Can serving officers, bound by the military hierarchy, really give independent judgement? A one-line description of the conviction with the names of 25 persons hardly qualifies as a rational decision,” the paper asked.

“That such trials are taking place under civilian leadership adds a layer of irony to this critical situation. Pakistan’s democracy, which is still finding its feet, cannot tolerate such compromise on basic democratic values,” the editorial reads.