After twenty-five civilians were sentenced to prison by military courts on December 21 for their involvement in attacks on military installations during the May 9 riots, the United States (US) and United Kingdom (UK) have also raised concerns about the lack of transparency.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) said: “While the UK respects Pakistan’s sovereignty over its legal proceedings, trying civilians in military courts lacks transparency and independent scrutiny and undermines the right to a fair trial.”
“We call on the government of Pakistan to uphold its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),” concluded the FCDO spokesperson on December 23.
Similarly, the US States Department issued a press statement which read: “The United States is deeply concerned that a military tribunal has sentenced Pakistani civilians for their involvement in protests on May 9, 2023. These military courts lack judicial independence, transparency, and due process guarantees.”
“The United States continues to call on Pakistani authorities to respect the right to a fair trial and due process, as enshrined in Pakistan’s constitution,” stated the press release by the US State Department.
Earlier, the European Union (EU) also raised serious concerns over the military trials of civilians, stating that the verdicts were seen as “inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has undertaken under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).”
An EU spokesperson pointed out that under the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), beneficiary countries, including Pakistan, have voluntarily agreed to implement conventions that include the ICCPR in order to continue benefitting from GSP+ status.
GSP+ allows developing countries, including Pakistan, to export goods to the EU market at zero duties for 66 per cent of tariff lines. This preferential status is conditional on GSP Plus countries demonstrating tangible progress on the implementation of 27 international conventions on human and labour rights, environmental protection, climate change and good governance. Pakistan now exports approximately EUR 5.4 billion worth of goods, namely garments, bedlinen, terry towels, hosiery, leather, sports and surgical goods, to the European Union.
Pakistan’s military media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) announced the verdicts of civilians’ military trials over the May 9 riots a few days after the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench conditionally allowed military courts to announce their verdicts.
Ten-year sentences were handed down to 14 of the 25 persons convicted, with one each given nine-year, seven-year, and three-year terms; six years to two; four years to another two; and two years to four people.