EU expresses concern over military court sentencing 25 Pakistanis

The European Union has expressed concern over the conviction of 25 civilians by a military court in Pakistan on December 21.

In this regard, the European External Action Service stated on the holiday that, in the view of the European Union, “These decisions are considered to be inconsistent with the obligations that Pakistan has accepted under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)”.

The European Union clarified in this statement: “According to Article 14 of the ICCPR, everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing by an independent, impartial, and competent court and to adequate and effective legal representation”.

The European Union added that the same article also states that any decision pronounced in a criminal case shall be made public.

The European Union further stated that beneficiary countries under the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+), including Pakistan, have voluntarily agreed to effectively implement 27 international core conventions, including the ICCPR, to benefit from GSP+ status.

It is pertinent to note that 25 criminals involved in the May 9 tragedy were sentenced by military courts. The criminals were sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for a period of 2 to 10 years.