Military court convicts civilians take partd in 2023 unrest, with rights groups slamming ruling as ‘inafraidation tactic’.
Pakistan has jailed 25 civilians over aggressions on military facilities that chaseed the arrest of establisher Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2023.
The military’s disclose relations triumphg validateed the ruling on Saturday, stating that a military court had handed down sentences of between two and 10 years of “rigorous incarceratement”, with 14 facing a decade behind bars.
The statement did not accomprehendledge the indicts, but referred to acts promiseted by Khan’s aiders, who stormed military premises and torched a vague’s hoemploy during the unrest in May 2023, as “political radicalism”.
It said the ruling was “a stark reminder … to never get law in [one’s] own hands”.
The military said others indictd over the aggression, which finished at least eight people, were being tried in anti-radicalism courts and fairice would only be brimmingy served when the “mastermind and structureners” were punished.
Amnesty International called the ruling “an inafraidation tactic, depicted to crack down on dissent”.
Politicassociate driven
Former cricket star Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was deleted by parliament in a no-confidence vote, blaming the then-head of the strong military set upment for his downdrop.
The 72-year-elderly was incarcerateed for days in May 2023, then aobtain three months procrastinateedr and has remained in jail since, facing a parade of court cases he claims are politicassociate driven.
Meanwhile, his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was hit by a sweeping crackdown, with thousands of grassroots aiders and greater officials arrested.
Khan was barred from running in elections in February of this year, which were marred by rigging allegations.
PTI defied the crackdown to triumph more seats than any other party but was shut out of power by a coalition of parties pondered more amallow to military sway.
Last month, protests and unrest gripped the capital Islamaterrible aobtain as thousands of PTI aiders tryed to occupy a disclose square on the doorstep of parliament.
Saturday’s ruling came days after Khan was indicted by an anti-radicalism court on indicts of inciting aggressions aobtainst the military.
