Amnesty International statement on Pakistan's misuse of military courts

Amnesty International has issued this statement on Pakistan's use of military courts to try civilians:

On the first anniversary of the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s ruling that trials of civilians by military courts are constitutional, Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said:

“The Supreme Court’s 2025 decision has fundamentally undermined the right to a fair trial and the right to liberty in Pakistan. Such courts flout virtually every protection guaranteed under international human rights law.

“A civilian before a military court is first subjected to a secret trial without procedural safeguards, conducted by army officials that lack independence and impartiality. If convicted, they are denied the right to appeal, despite orders by the Supreme Court that this protection be guaranteed. Those serving convictions, including 9 May protesters still serving their sentences and activists such as Idris Khattak, are being deprived of the right to have their convictions and sentences independently and impartially reviewed. They are not given access to the court’s reasoned judgements and, in many instances, they have not been provided with any written order at all, as part of a deliberate tactic to prolong their unlawful detention.

“Amnesty International calls on the Pakistani authorities to end this injustice by banning military trials of civilians and overturning all unlawful civilian convictions by these courts. Authorities must ensure that all those convicted are provided with a meaningful right to appeal to a competent, independent and impartial tribunal.”