Amnesty International USA Urges President Bush to Ensure that No U.S. Military Assistance is Used Against Demonstrators
Sweeping Emergency Powers in Pakistan Represent a Direct Assault on Human Rights Standards
The military crackdown in Pakistan represents a direct assault on international law and human rights standards enshrined
in the country's own constitution, Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Khan said today.
"Measures that have been portrayed as necessary to protect Pakistan are in fact a wholesale abrogation of fundamental
human rights protections and dismantle the very institutions and checks and balances that underpin the country's
stability," Khan said.
Amnesty International called for the immediate return to constitutional rule and the release of many hundreds of people
detained under the current measures.
"General Musharraf's actions constitute a direct assault on Pakistan's judiciary, its vibrant human rights community,
independent media and peaceful political dissent," said Khan.
T. Kumar, Amnesty International USA advocacy director for Asia, urged President Bush to ensure that no U.S. weapons
provided to Pakistan are used to commit human rights violations against peaceful demonstrators in his country. "The
United States also needs to publicly demand the immediate and unconditional release of all peaceful demonstrators being
detained in Pakistan," he said.
Bypassing the constitution's provisions in declaring a state of emergency, General Musharraf suspended the right not to
be arbitrarily deprived of life, as well as key elements of the right to a fair trial. Under international law and human
rights standards--enshrined in the constitution of Pakistan--these rights must be fully and unconditionally respected in
all circumstances, whether or not a public emergency exists.
"Musharraf's actions also fly in the face of commitments set out in the emergency declaration itself to uphold the
independence of the judiciary and the rule of law," said Khan.
The suspension of judges who are, in effect, under house arrest violates core provisions of the U.N. Principles for the
Independence of the Judiciary. Judges may not be removed by the executive, except in cases of incapacity or if they are
unfit to discharge their duty.
"Amnesty International fears that this assault on key institutions of accountability, combined with sweeping emergency
powers, will exacerbate existing patterns of human rights abuse, including torture and other ill-treatment, arbitrary
detention, enforced disappearances and use of excessive force to suppress peaceful dissent," said Khan.
By Monday, several hundred lawyers, human rights activists and political workers have been arrested or arbitrarily
detained across Pakistan. The Office of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan was raided by a large police contingent
on Sunday and around 70 human rights activists were arrested. They have been charged with unlawful assembly under public
order provisions and initially detained in Kot Lakhpat jail in Lahore. They include senior citizens, many of whom suffer
from ill health. Among those under house arrest is the Chair of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, U.N. Special
Rapporteur for freedom of religion Asma Jahangir. Her house has been declared a sub-jail where she will be detained for
90 days under preventive detention laws.
Independent television and radio news channels have been prevented from broadcasting within the country since Saturday.
New laws restricting freedom of print and electronic media were issued, breach of which attracts three to four years
imprisonment and heavy fines.
Background
Acting in his capacity as army chief of staff, General Musharraf suspended the bulk of the constitution, acquired powers
to amend it without any parliamentary procedure and proclaimed a Provisional Constitutional Order (PCO). This order
prohibits any court issuing an order against the President, Prime Minister or any person exercising powers under their
authority.
Under the order, existing members of the superior judiciary are effectively suspended until they take a new oath to
uphold the PCO. Only five of 17 Supreme Court Justices have taken the oath. Many Supreme Court and Provincial High Court
Justices are now effectively under house arrest.
These measures came on the eve of a Supreme Court hearing to rule on petitions contesting General Musharraf's
eligibility to contest presidential elections held on October 6.
Lawyers who were counsels in the petitions including President of the Supreme Court bar association Aitzaz Ahsan, Ali
Ahmed Kurd, Munir A. Malik and retired Justice Tariq Mahmood were immediately arrested.
These lawyers had been leading a movement to uphold the independence of the judiciary since President Musharraf
suspended the former Chief Justice of Pakistan on March 9.
ENDS