A number of United States’ lawmakers along with Amnesty International have voiced support for demonstrators who participated in the violence-marred protest by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers in Islamabad for the release of party founder-chairman Imran Khan.
“The brutal repression of protesters in Pakistan and growing political violence is an attempt to suppress democracy and human rights [….] I stand with the brave Pakistanis who are rising up and protesting for change,” US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib said in a post on X — formerly Twitter.
The statement comes in the wake of the PTI’s “do-or-die” protest, called off by the party following a crackdown by the law enforcement agencies (LEAs), which resulted in the martyrdom of at least four Rangers personnel along with multiple policemen.
The former ruling party, too, claimed that eight of its workers were martyred during the protest.
The latest protest episode was part of the PTI’s months-long efforts to secure Khan’s release who has been behind bars in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in various cases for more than a year now.
The party, for quite some time, has reportedly been lobbying in Washington to garner support and secure the former prime minister’s release.
Meanwhile, in line with the US lawmakers’ statements, Amnesty International has said that the LEAs used “unlawful and excessive force including tear gas, live ammunition and rubber bullets against PTI protesters”.
“Even if protests become non-peaceful, the authorities must respect and ensure the protesters’ rights to life and freedom from torture and other ill-treatment,” said the rights group while reminding Islamabad of its obligation to provide an enabling environment for the protesters under international human rights law.
Underscoring severe restrictions on assembly, movement and mobile and internet services as well as arbitrary detentions of thousands of protesters across the country, it urged the authorities to take all necessary measures to prevent arbitrary deprivation of life and ensure effective accountability for any unlawful use of force.
