&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Not compatible with human dignity’: UN expert warns Pakistan over Bushra Bibi’s detention")
Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, is being detained in conditions that are not compatible with "human dignity," warned a United Nations expert on Wednesday (Dec 24). Bushra Bibi's detention conditions could pose a serious threat to her physical and mental health, added Alice Jill Edwards, the United Nations' special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Edwards urged Pakistani authorities to take immediate action to address the situation.
Bushra Bibi kept isolated for 22 hours a day
Alice Jill Edwards, the UN's special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, urged Pakistani authorities to take immediate corrective steps, saying the state has a clear responsibility to ensure detainees are held in humane conditions.
UN special rapporteurs operate independently under mandates from the Human Rights Council and do not speak on behalf of the United Nations as a whole.
Khan and Bibi were convicted in January in a graft case linked to state gifts received during Khan’s time in office. He was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Bibi received a seven-year term. Over the weekend, a court handed the couple an additional 17-year sentence in a related corruption case, with both receiving 10 years for criminal breach of trust and seven years for corruption over the alleged underpricing of official gifts.
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"The state has an obligation to protect Mrs. Khan's health and ensure conditions of detention compatible with human dignity," Edwards said in a statement.
She said Bibi is reportedly being held in a small, unhygienic cell that is frequently plunged into darkness due to power cuts. She warned that such conditions fall well below international minimum standards for detention.
"Such conditions fall far below minimum international standards. No detainee should be exposed to extreme heat, contaminated food or water, or conditions that aggravate existing medical conditions."
Edwards added that prolonged isolation was also a serious concern. According to reports cited by the rapporteur, Bibi is kept in near-total isolation for more than 22 hours a day. The UN rapporteur stressed that authorities must ensure Bibi has regular access to legal counsel, family visits and "meaningful human contact".
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Matter formally raised with Islamabad
Edwards confirmed that the matter has been formally raised with the government in Islamabad.
The warning follows similar concerns expressed earlier this month about Imran Khan’s own detention. At the time, Edwards said the former prime minister, now 73, may also be facing treatment that could amount to torture or other inhuman or degrading conditions, and called for his incarceration to be brought into line with international norms. Since August 2023, Khan has remained behind bars, facing dozens of cases that he and his supporters describe as politically motivated.
