Geneva, December 13 — UN experts have urged Pakistan to take immediate action over reports that former prime minister Imran Khan is being held in inhumane and undignified detention conditions that could amount to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
The UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, called on Pakistani authorities to ensure Khan’s detention complies with international norms and standards. She said that since his transfer to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on 26 September 2023, Khan has reportedly been kept in prolonged solitary confinement, confined about 23 hours a day, with very restricted access to the outside world and constant camera surveillance.
Edwards stressed that prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement is prohibited under international human rights law and that isolation extending beyond 15 days constitutes a form of psychological torture. “Khan’s solitary confinement should be lifted without delay. Not only is it an unlawful measure, extended isolation can bring about very harmful consequences for his physical and mental health,” she said.
According to information received, Khan is not allowed outdoor activity or interaction with other detainees and cannot join communal prayers. Visits from lawyers, family members and others authorised by the courts are frequently interrupted or ended prematurely. His cell is described as small, lacking natural light and adequate ventilation; temperatures reportedly become extreme in both winter and summer, with poor air circulation leading to foul odours and insect infestations. Khan has reportedly suffered nausea, vomiting and noticeable weight loss.
“Anyone deprived of liberty must be treated with humanity and dignity,” Edwards said, adding that detention conditions must consider an individual’s age and health, including appropriate sleeping arrangements, climatic protection, adequate space, lighting, heating and ventilation. Khan, 72, has a history of serious health problems, including a spinal injury from a 2013 accident and gunshot wounds from a 2022 assassination attempt. Edwards urged authorities to allow a visit by his personal physicians.
The Special Rapporteur has raised Khan’s situation with the Government of Pakistan and said she will continue to follow developments.
On social media, Khan’s ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith appealed to Elon Musk on X, saying her two sons have not been allowed to see or speak to their father for 22 months and that her posts about him are being throttled, limiting visibility inside Pakistan and globally. Unverified Afghan media reports claiming Khan had died in custody intensified rumours about his condition; his son Kasim Khan has demanded proof that his father is alive, saying it has been “845 days” since Khan was jailed and alleging he was held in a “death cell” for six weeks without family access.
Khan has been in prison since August 2023 on multiple cases. For over a month, authorities reportedly imposed tight restrictions on visits; PTI claims these measures are enforced at the direction of an army officer, an allegation officials reject. PTI said allowing Uzma Khanum to meet her brother was a start but called for regular, unhindered meetings in line with court directives as political tensions persist around the incarcerated opposition leader.
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