Amnesty slams military trial of civilians in Pakistan

Karachi, May 21

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Military courts in Pakistan should not try more than 100 people for their alleged role in attacks on army installations during the riots that followed former premier Imran Khan’s arrest on May 9 last year, Amnesty International chief has said, urging the government to uphold its international obligations.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights clearly state that civilians should not be tried by military courts, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Dr Agnes Callamard said. The Amnesty chief, who is on her first regional visit to South Asia, said “sadly it has happened throughout Pakistan’s political history… (and) is not a novelty”.