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An anti-terrorism court on Saturday sentenced in absentia 47 leaders and supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to ten years imprisonment on terrorism charges.
Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the Anti-Terrorism Court-1 Rawalpindi sentenced the 47 on charges under 21-L of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997. Section 21-L of the ATA, 1997 prohibits a person accused of another offence within the ATA, 1997 from obstructing justice by avoiding arrest or evading participation within an inquiry or investigation. This offence bears a minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of 10 years. The 47 were also sentenced to pay a fine of rs500,000 ($1,785 USD)
This case stems from the May 9th, 2023 riots on the day of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest. That day thousands of protestors stormed the General Headquarters (GHQ) and other military installations leading to the destruction of property and at the death of at least eight people. More than 4,000 people, including many members of the opposition (PTI) were arrested in the wake of the protests. The 47 sentenced in this case have additional charges against them related to the May 9th riots. The court alleges that they led a mob of between 250-300 people to attack GHQ gate number 1 and pelt military personal with political slogans, sticks, and petrol bombs.
118 were accused in the original case, including Imran Khan. 29 of those accused never appeared in court after the case was registered, and 18 were consistently absent during the trial. A separate trial was then ordered for the 47 declared absconders. If the accused surrender themselves or are arrested within two months, then they are entitled to a retrial with the possibility of the the conviction being overturned.
The PTI has condemned the sentencing of 47 of their leaders and supporters, calling their prosecution apart of a “political vendetta.” The party drew attention to the fact that the accused right to defense was “handed over to a ‘state counsel’ … denying the accused a fair chance to present their case.”
In December 2024, a Pakistani military court sentenced 25 civilians, a move described by Amnesty International as against international law, for their involvement in the May 9th riots. Since Imran Khan’s removal from power by opposition lawmakers in 2022, the Pakistani state has repressed the former Prime Minister’s former political party. The PTI is Pakistan’s largest opposition party with former officials from their government being removed from their offices and prosecuted, Khan has been sentenced to more than 65 years imprisonment in numerous cases, and lawyers with ties to the party being sentenced over social media posts.
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Judge Amjad Ali Shah of the Anti-Terrorism Court-1 Rawalpindi sentenced the 47 on charges under 21-L of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997. Section 21-L of the ATA, 1997 prohibits a person accused of another offence within the ATA, 1997 from obstructing justice by avoiding arrest or evading participation within an inquiry or investigation. This offence bears a minimum sentence of 5 years and a maximum sentence of 10 years. The 47 were also sentenced to pay a fine of rs500,000 ($1,785 USD)
This case stems from the May 9th, 2023 riots on the day of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s arrest. That day thousands of protestors stormed the General Headquarters (GHQ) and other military installations leading to the destruction of property and at the death of at least eight people. More than 4,000 people, including many members of the opposition (PTI) were arrested in the wake of the protests. The 47 sentenced in this case have additional charges against them related to the May 9th riots. The court alleges that they led a mob of between 250-300 people to attack GHQ gate number 1 and pelt military personal with political slogans, sticks, and petrol bombs.
118 were accused in the original case, including Imran Khan. 29 of those accused never appeared in court after the case was registered, and 18 were consistently absent during the trial. A separate trial was then ordered for the 47 declared absconders. If the accused surrender themselves or are arrested within two months, then they are entitled to a retrial with the possibility of the the conviction being overturned.
The PTI has condemned the sentencing of 47 of their leaders and supporters, calling their prosecution apart of a “political vendetta.” The party drew attention to the fact that the accused right to defense was “handed over to a ‘state counsel’ … denying the accused a fair chance to present their case.”
In December 2024, a Pakistani military court sentenced 25 civilians, a move described by Amnesty International as against international law, for their involvement in the May 9th riots. Since Imran Khan’s removal from power by opposition lawmakers in 2022, the Pakistani state has repressed the former Prime Minister’s former political party. The PTI is Pakistan’s largest opposition party with former officials from their government being removed from their offices and prosecuted, Khan has been sentenced to more than 65 years imprisonment in numerous cases, and lawyers with ties to the party being sentenced over social media posts.
The post Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentences 47 PTI leaders and supporters in absentia appeared first on JURIST - News.
Continue reading...
Note: We don't have any responsibilities about this news. Its been posted here by Feed Reader and we had no controls and checking on it. And because News posted here will be deleted automatically after 21 days, threads are closed so that no one spend time to post and discuss here. You can always check the source and discuss in their site.