The United Nations has called for the release of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan. On Monday, a group of experts of the organization demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Imran Khan. They say that Imran Khan has been detained illegally and in violation of international law. This information is known from a report of the American media Voice of America.
The Geneva-based Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, which works with the UN Human Rights Council, said Pakistani authorities had “no legal basis” for Imran’s detention.
The five-member group said the 71-year-old Pakistani leader’s prison sentence violated at least 12 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
The group said, “The working group requests the government of Pakistan to immediately rectify the situation of Imran Khan to bring him in line with the relevant international norms.”
Imran Khan was found guilty of corruption in August 2023 and sentenced to three years in prison. He and independent legal experts declared that the trial process was flawed. But three days later, the Election Commission of Pakistan barred Khan from contesting elections for five years.
In the Toshakhana case, it was alleged that Imran did not declare the gifts he received during his prime ministership. The Toshakhana is a government office where gifts received by Pakistani leaders during official foreign visits are stored and displayed.
The UN group said the trial was not based on the law from the start and that the purpose of the illegal detention was to “ban Imran Khan from running for political office”.
The UN group expressed this opinion on March 25. However, it became public yesterday Monday. Experts feel that the appropriate amendment would be to release Khan and give him an enforceable right to compensation.