The United States has expressed “deep concern” about the 25 civilians convicted by a Pakistani military tribunal, arguing that military courts lack due process guarantees, judicial independence and transparency.
In a brief statement released Tuesday, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington continued to call on Pakistani authorities to “respect” the right to a fair trial and due process enshrined in the country’s constitution.
In a major development, a military court last week convicted 25 people involved in attacks on state facilities during the May 9, 2023 violent protests.
The infamous and violent protests following the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in a corruption case have led to political activists being jailed. As a result, hundreds of party workers were arrested and more than 100 civilians are facing military trials.
However, the party maintained that it had no role in incidents involving military installations, including the attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ), and called for a judicial inquiry into last year’s incidents.
The British and European Union also reacted to the sentencing of civilians in a military court.
The UK urged the federal government to uphold its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).
“Military acts undermine the right to transparency, independent scrutiny and a fair trial in the courts,” a spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said in a statement released on Monday.
However, the spokesperson said that the UK respects Pakistan’s sovereignty over its legal proceedings.
The European Union was the first to react to the issue, expressing concern over the sentences handed down to 25 accused by the military court, saying the verdicts were in violation of Pakistan’s obligations under the ICCPR. Seen contradictory.
“According to Article 14 of the ICCPR, everyone has the right to a fair and public trial by a court that is independent, impartial and competent, and to adequate and effective legal representation”. External Action Service.
Further, it said, Article 14 also provides that “any judgment pronounced in a criminal case shall be made public”.
Under the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), beneficiary countries including Pakistan have voluntarily agreed to effectively implement 27 international core conventions – including the ICCPR – to continue to enjoy GSP+ status. can be kept
Reacting to the European Union’s statement on Monday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a conversation with Geo News that the government is reviewing the recent statement of the European Union which condemned the sentences handed down by military courts. .
However, he said that Pakistan has always maintained that its constitution and courts can resolve internal affairs of the country.
On the other hand, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said on Monday that the European Union’s concerns about punishing civilians in military courts are valid and legitimate, fearing that this will further isolate Pakistan diplomatically.
Akram also maintained that it would also threaten Pakistan’s hard-won preferential access to EU trade. “EU concerns about military court verdicts inconsistent with Pakistan’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)”.