Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Pakistan’s authorities to refrain from using “abusive measures” against supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan as protests escalated in the country.
HRW said on Tuesday that police had charged protesters with batons and detained them under “sweeping counterterrorism laws.” Nearly 200 people have been arrested for arson, vandalism, and attacks on police.
“The use of Pakistan’s vague and overbroad anti-terrorism provisions against opposition protesters is very worrying,” Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at HRW, said in a statement.
“If the authorities believe that Khan’s or his supporters’ actions have resulted in violence or constituted a real threat to public safety, they should be charged under the appropriate laws,” Gossman added….