A United Nations (UN) expert on Wednesday warned that Bushra Bibi, the wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, is being “detained in circumstances that could pose a serious risk to her physical and mental integrity”.
Bushra is serving a seven-year sentence in the £190 million corruption case. She was recently sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment in the Toshakhana 2 case, which revolved around the purchase of an expensive jewelry set gifted to Imran by the Saudi crown prince during his May 2021 visit.
“The state has an obligation to protect Mrs. Khan’s health and ensure conditions of detention compatible with human dignity,” Alice Jills Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur, said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
Earlier in May, the Adiala prison administration submitted a detailed report to the Islamabad High Court (IHC), stating that Bushra was receiving a range of special facilities at the prison, with accommodation provided to her under the Pakistan Prison Rules 1978, including medical care, private lodging, and access to entertainment and legal resources.
According to the report, Bushra had been afforded amenities aimed at ensuring her “health, comfort, and legal rights”.
Bushra has access to a dedicated woman medical officer who conducts twice-daily health checks. She has also been provided with a private, spacious room equipped with a cot, mattress, furniture, and climate-control measures such as ceiling fans and an air cooler during summer, the report added.
The UN special rapporteur added that the “conditions and locations of detention must take into account the age, sex and health circumstances of detainees”.
UN special rapporteurs are independent experts mandated by the Human Rights Council. They do not, therefore, speak for the United Nations itself.
Edwards claimed that Bushra was “frequently placed in near-total isolation for more than 22 hours a day, sometimes for periods exceeding ten days, without access to exercise, reading material, legal counsel, family visits, or her personal physicians.”
The UN expert further urged the authorities to ensure that the former first lady could “communicate with her lawyers, receive visits from family members, and have meaningful human contact throughout her detention.”
Earlier this month, the same UN special rapporteur warned that Imran was being held in conditions that could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment, calling on Pakistani authorities to comply with international norms and standards.
