UN: Ex-Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Arbitrarily Detained

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Facts

• Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is arbitrarily imprisoned in violation of international law, the UN's Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) said in a report published Monday.¹
• The 17-page report detailed how, following a series of arrests, Khan — who led the country between 2018 and 2022 — was routinely denied due process rights in his legal battle, alleging his detention was politically motivated.²
• The WGAD claims that the judges didn't allow Khan's lawyers to call witnesses or make a closing argument before finding him guilty of hiding assets after selling state gifts as prime minister.²
• The report also alleged that the Cipher case — in which he was accused of violating the country's Official Secrets Act regarding the retention of a classified document — 'lacks a grounding in law.'²
• According to a classified Pakistani government document obtained by The Intercept last year, US officials told Pakistani counterparts in March that, over his neutrality on the Russia-Ukraine war, 'all will be forgiven in Washington' if Khan is removed from power. He was ousted the following month.³
• In recent months, courts have overturned the charges in the cipher and state gifts cases. However, Khan remains imprisoned on other convictions, including a finding by courts that his 2018 marriage was unlawful.⁴

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²UN WGAD, ³Intercept and ⁴US News & World Report.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Al Jazeera. The ongoing imprisonment of Imran Khan has no legal basis. His prosecution of several offenses lacked a legal basis and was carried out to keep him and his Tehreek-e-Insaf party out of power. He needs to be released immediately and given reparations for his persecution by the current Pakistani government.
• Narrative B, as provided by Pakistan Today. Given how corrupt the current Pakistani leadership is, there's less than a 1% chance Imran Khan will be getting out of prison anytime soon. They know he is far more popular than any of them, and having him back on the streets would risk their current grip on power.

Predictions