A military court in Pakistan has convicted 25 people for their role in violent protests following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the country's armed forces said.
The court said it handed down sentences ranging from two to 10 years in prison in connection with attacks on military facilities last year.
Nationwide protests erupted in May 2023 after security forces arrested Khan when he appeared in the Supreme Court on corruption charges – charges he called politically motivated.
Thousands of Khan's supporters attacked government buildings and military bases and the government responded with a crackdown on his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
At least 1,400 protesters were arrested last year, police said, but only about 100 of those detained have faced military trials.
The army said that full justice will be served only when the masterminds behind the protests are punished.
A Supreme Court ruling last year allowed military courts to try suspects.
“All the sentences announced by the military courts are disproportionate and excessive,” said a spokesman for the PTI party, adding that “these sentences are rejected”.
Amnesty International has said that trying civilians in military courts is “against international law” and says it is “merely a tactic of intimidation, designed to get off the hook.” -agreement”.
Pakistan's military has dominated the nuclear-armed country for most of its existence and is a vital player behind the scenes.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan pictured last March (Reuters)
Former Pakistani cricket star Khan was elected prime minister in 2018, but fell out with the country's powerful military.
After a series of failures, he lost his majority in parliament.
He was later expelled he lost a vote of confidence in April 2022four years in office.
Since then, he had been a staunch critic of the country's government and army.
In October 2022, he was disqualified from holding public office, accused of falsely declaring details of gifts from foreign dignitaries and proceeds from the alleged sale.
Next month, he he survived a gun attack on his convoy while conducting a charge march.
