PTI welcomes UN torture report on Imran

ISLAMABAD:

The PTI has termed the report issued by United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture Alice Jill Edwards regarding the imprisonment of former prime minister Imran Khan in Adiala Jail as “extremely serious, alarming, and eye-opening”.

In a statement shared on X on Sunday, the party said the UN report confirmed what PTI had been highlighting for a long time: that Imran Khan is being subjected to inhuman, illegal, and humiliating imprisonment on the basis of political victimisation.

“Twenty-three hours of solitary confinement, continuous camera surveillance, complete isolation from the outside world, obstacles to meetings with lawyers and family members, deprivation of religious practices, and denial of basic human necessities constitute a blatant violation not only of jail rules but also of international human rights standards,” it said.

According to the United Nations, the party said, solitary confinement for more than 15 days falls under the category of psychological torture, whereas Imran Khan has been subjected to this agonising practice for months. “Denying proper medical facilities to a 72-year-old prisoner suffering from serious medical conditions, a spinal injury, and wounds from an assassination attempt amounts to deliberate cruelty.” 

The PTI demanded that Imran’s solitary confinement be ended immediately, that facilities in prison be brought in line with human dignity and international standards, that personal physicians be granted immediate access, and that obstacles to meetings be removed, according to court orders.

“This matter is no longer merely about a political prisoner; it has become a test of the credibility of law, justice, and human rights in Pakistan.  If the treatment being meted out to Imran Khan is not stopped, it will be regarded as one of the worst examples of state-level torture,” it said.

In a statement, Alice Jill Edwards on Friday warned that PTI founder Imran Khan was being held in conditions that could amount to torture and other inhuman or degrading treatment.