Imran Khan's legal team appeals to UN over ‘torture' in detention

The international legal team representing former prime minister Imran Khan has filed an appeal with the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, citing severe human rights violations during his ongoing detention.

The filing, submitted by Perseus Strategies on behalf of Khan’s legal representatives, outlined what they describe as a "systematic pattern of abuse, including prolonged solitary confinement, denial of medical care, contaminated food, and restricted access to legal counsel and family visits."

Khan’s legal team argues that these conditions breach Pakistan’s obligations under the Convention against Torture (CAT) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR).

In a statement included in the filing, Sulaiman Khan, Imran Khan’s son, condemned the treatment of his father and said: “Our father is being kept in conditions that no human being should endure. These are violations of his rights, and they amount to torture.”

The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, who reports to the UN Human Rights Council, has the authority to intervene when credible allegations of torture are presented, including conducting fact-finding visits and submitting reports to both the Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly.

Khan’s legal team has urged the Special Rapporteur to investigate his case and pressure Pakistani authorities to guarantee his physical and mental well-being.

Kasim Khan, another of Imran Khan’s sons, added: “The UN has already recognised that our father’s imprisonment is arbitrary and unlawful. What he is enduring now shows how far the regime will go to break him. But he will not be broken.”

Zulfi Bukhari, adviser to Imran Khan on international affairs, stressed that the filing underscores Khan’s resilience: “He is enduring unlawful imprisonment and degrading treatment, but he remains a symbol of courage and peaceful resistance.”

The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been behind bars since August 2023 after he was booked in multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism since his ouster from power via the opposition's no-trust motion in April 2022.