Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], November 9 : Front Line Defenders have condemned the arrest of human rights defender Idris Khattak, demanding his immediate release due to safety issues and deteriorating health.
According to Front Line Defenders, Idris Khattak was abducted on November 13, 2019, and was later tried by the military court under the Official Secrets Act. In December 2021, he was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment.
In the 5 years of imprisonment, the human rights defender has gone through unsanitary and unsafe conditions in the jail.
In a post on X, the Front Line Defenders stated, "We urge Pakistani authorities to immediately end the persecution and incarceration of HRD Idris Khattak, especially given his age and underlying health concerns. Following his enforced disappearance, and 5 years of unjust imprisonment for his human rights work campaigning for religious and ethnic minorities, we call for his immediate and safe release to his family."
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Front Line Defenders urges Pakistani authorities to immediately end the persecution and incarceration of HRD Idris Khattak, especially given his age and underlying health concerns.
Following his enforced disappearance, and 5 years of unjust imprisonment for his… pic.twitter.com/XpH6r0cG0z
— Front Line Defenders (@FrontLineHRD) November 8, 2024
Idris Khattak is a prominent human rights advocate in Pakistan. His activism has focused on defending the rights of religious and ethnic minorities, often in the face of systematic state repression. Khattak has been particularly vocal about abuses carried out by military and intelligence agencies, especially in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region, which has experienced ongoing conflict and instability.
United Nations human rights experts also lamented the conviction and said, "Mr. Khattak's reported sentencing is an attack against the human rights community in Pakistan and sends a chilling message to civil society activists monitoring and reporting on alleged violations, committed by the military and security forces or with their consent or acquiescence, such as systematic or widespread enforced disappearances."
Pakistan is known for violating human rights by forcibly disappearing the activists and defenders. The people who are abducted by the Pakistan military forces are not given medical assistance and are not allowed to meet their families.
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