Military courts have sentenced 25 civilians to prison terms ranging from two to 10 years for their involvement in violent attacks on military installations during nationwide riots on May 9, 2023, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday.
The development comes over a week after the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench conditionally allowed military courts to pronounce the verdicts of 85 under-custody civilians in cases pertaining to the May 9 riots.
What we know so far:
Punishments range from 2-10 years, with 14 of 25 given maximum sentences
All convicts retain right to appeal and other legal recourses, military says
PTI ‘rejects’ sentences
Ministers hail verdicts, with Asif calling for ‘planners’ to be punished
Lawyers concerned if due process followed, hope for fair trials
Following today’s announcement, persons who can be released after remissions can “be released forthwith and the persons who have to yet undergo the sentence awarded to them, their custody” will be handed over to the “concerned jail authorities”, as per the SC order.
The bench had ordered that the announcement of judgements would be subject to a final determination of the appeals before the SC, and without prejudice to the rights of those 85 accused persons.
During the December 13 hearing, Additional Attorney General Amir Rehman had assured the court that the prisoners would be dealt in accordance with the jail manual. However, the bench did not agree when the counsel for the petitioners requested the SC that the prisoners be placed under the custody of a civilian court.
Following the arrest of the ex-premier on May 9, 2023, from the Islamabad High Court’s premises by paramilitary forces, riots erupted across the country that went on for at least 24 hours.
