Civilians’ military trials are ‘no-no’ under international law, says Amnesty International

Amnesty International’s Secretary General Dr Agnès Callamard said on Tuesday that according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, military courts can not conduct trials of civilians.

In an exclusive interview with Dawn, Dr Agnès Callamard, who is on an official visit to South Asia, said that conducting civilian’s trials in military courts is a “no-no” under international law; “sadly it has happened throughout Pakistan’s political history… [and] is not a novelty”.

Dr. Callamard said that Pakistan must maintain its international obligations and follow the country’s constitution for fair trials. She stressed the importance of transparency, due process, and urged Pakistan to protect civilians’ rights. 

“The use of military courts is threatening the constitutionality of what’s happening right now,” she said.

Talking about the ban on X (formerly Twitter) in Pakistan, she said yhat Amnesty is quite concerned by constricting space for freedom of speech in Pakistan.