UN group demands release of ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan; says his detention violates international law

ISLAMABAD– A United Nations human rights working group on Monday called for the immediate release of those imprisoned in Pakistan. former prime minister Imran Khansaying that he had been detained “arbitrarily in violation of international law.”

The Geneva-based United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention made the demand after examining Khan’s case in which he was sentenced last year on corruption charges.

Khan faces multiple prison sentences from 2022 when was overthrown by a vote of no confidence in parliament. There was no immediate comment from the government. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifwho replaced Khan after his overthrow.

Khan has been in prison since August 2023, when a court awarded him a three-year prison sentence after finding him guilty of concealing assets after selling state gifts. This led to Khan being banned from politics and participating in the February 8 election, which his party claimed was rigged.

The Election Commission of Pakistan, which oversaw the vote, denied allegations of vote tampering.

Despite being convicted in multiple cases, Khan remains the leading opposition figure.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which has a strong presence in parliament, praised the demand of the UN group, which said Khan’s detention in the corruption case “had no legal basis and “seems to have been intended to disqualify him.” prevent him from running for office. He said that “Khan was detained for exercising his right to freedom of expression or opinion” and that he was also denied a “fair trial and the right to due process.”

The UN task force demanded Khan’s immediate release, saying it was an “appropriate remedy.”

The group further said that Khan’s conviction in the corruption case was “part of a much broader crackdown targeting PTI generally and Khan specifically.”

It said: “In the run-up to Pakistan’s February 2024 general elections, PTI candidates were arrested, tortured and intimidated into leaving the party; PTI demonstrations were interrupted and blocked; and the party was deprived of its iconic cricket bat symbol, forcing its candidates to run as independents.”

The UN group also said that Khan himself was facing more than 150 politically motivated criminal cases, and just days before the election, he was found guilty in three more cases and sentenced to 10 years, 14 years and an additional seven years in prison. , respectively.

“For Khan, who is 71 years old, the combined prison term of 34 years is equivalent to life in prison,” the group said. Khan’s spokesman, Zulfi Bukhari, welcomed the group’s findings and demands for Khan’s release.

Khan’s party won the most seats in the Feb. 8 vote, but fell short of the majority needed to form a government.