A United Nations Special Rapporteur has warned that PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan is being kept in prison under conditions that may amount to inhuman or degrading treatment. The rapporteur has urged Pakistani authorities to comply with international principles and standards.
According to reports by foreign media, in September the legal team contacted the UN representative to stop the alleged mistreatment of Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, by the Pakistani government.
However, Prime Minister’s aide Rana Ihsan Afzal rejected the UN representative’s concerns, stating that Imran Khan is being kept in accordance with jail rules and the prison manual.
He said that Khan’s children have access to him and must schedule calls and submit proper requests, adding that there is no obstacle or issue from the Government of Pakistan.
He further stated that the PTI founder is being given facilities “beyond his rights” as a B-Class prisoner, including exercise facilities, good food, and adequate space.
UN official Alice Jill Edwards urged Pakistan to take immediate and effective action on reports concerning the detention conditions of 73-year-old Imran Khan.
In a statement, she said, “I call on Pakistani authorities to ensure that the conditions of Imran Khan’s detention comply with international principles and standards.”
She added that since his transfer to Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, on September 26, 2023, Imran Khan has allegedly been kept in prolonged solitary confinement, locked in his cell for up to 23 hours a day, with extremely limited access to the outside world and continuous camera surveillance.
She said that “Imran Khan’s solitary confinement should be lifted without delay.”
Like Alice Jill Edwards, UN Special Rapporteurs are independent experts with a mandate from the Human Rights Council and do not speak on behalf of the United Nations itself.
Imran Khan’s supporters allege that his lawyers and family members are being prevented from meeting him, while protests and sit-ins have repeatedly been held outside the jail in response.
