Today marks three years since the imprisonment of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, as UN experts and human rights organisations condemn his incarceration and mass protests are expected to converge on Adiala Jail – the prison where Khan is being held.
Khan, 73, has been held in near-complete solitary confinement for 33 months and there are concerns about his health condition.
A UN torture expert has called on Pakistan to end its “inhumane” treatment and imprisonment of Khan, as mass protests are expected to take place demanding his release today.
Alice Jill Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, confirmed that Khan was under 24/7 CCTV surveillance, saying in a post on X: “Fmr PM #ImranKhan now held in near-total solitary for 33 months in a small, windowless cell under 24-7 CCTV. Often more than 2 weeks continuously, without exercise or meaningful human contact. This far exceeds the MANDELA rules. I call on #Pakistan to restore humane conditions.”
The post references the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners — commonly known as the Mandela Rules — an internationally recognised framework designed to uphold the dignity and human rights of those held in detention.
Amnesty International
Amnesty International has also called out the Pakistani authorities for their unfair treatment of Khan.
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Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Acting Regional Director for South Asia, said: “For three years, Pakistan’s authorities have systematically denied Imran Khan the right to a fair trial, subjected him to prolonged solitary confinement, and limited his access to medical care and visitation rights. He has not been allowed to meet his family for more than eight months and his vision has reportedly deteriorated significantly. Both he and his wife, Bushra Bibi Khan, have now been denied regular access to legal counsel since December 2025.”
The statement continued with Lassee urging the Pakistani authorities to “unconditionally restore Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi Khan’s right to see their family and lawyers.”
protest rally for release of PTI Founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, on August 5, 2025 in Karachi. Asianet-Pakistan / Shutterstock.com
Khan’s family have called for a protest march on the date of the anniversary, with his sister Aleema Khan travelling to towns across Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province to rally support for a march to Adiala Jail, where the former Pakistani PM is being held.
Pakistani authorities deny that Imran Khan is being held in inhumane conditions, insisting he is treated in accordance with prison regulations and receives appropriate accommodation, medical care and legal rights.
They have dismissed allegations by Khan, his party and human rights groups as politically motivated or exaggerated.
Background to imprisonment
Khan served as Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2018 until he was removed from office in April 2022 following a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
In the years since, his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has faced sweeping restrictions on its political activity and was barred entirely from the 2024 general election.
Khan was first arrested on May 9, 2023, triggering mass nationwide protests, and was arrested again on August 5, 2023, remaining in detention ever since. In the aftermath of the May 2023 protests and further demonstrations on November 26, 2024, scores of PTI supporters and senior party figures were subjected to mass arrests.
Many remain held on anti-terrorism charges, while 85 have been convicted by military courts — a practice Amnesty International and legal observers have strongly condemned.
In 2024, various human rights organisations, including Amnesty International, concluded that Khan’s imprisonment was unlawful and politically motivated.
While he was acquitted in January 2025 on charges relating to official secrets and his marriage to Bushra Bibi Khan, he is currently serving a 14-year sentence on corruption allegations. Bushra Bibi was handed a seven-year sentence in the same case. In December 2025, both were handed additional 17-year prison terms in a separate case involving state gifts.
Pakistan’s Punjab government has refused to grant permission for the march to mark the third anniversary of his imprisonment to take place in Lahore, prompting party leadership to announce they will seek a court order to proceed. Organisers say the protest is set to begin on August 5 and will continue until their demands are met.
“When sisters are compelled to come onto the streets to seek justice, it means all limits have been crossed by transgressors. My brother is being punished and subjected to mental torture because of his stance on the supremacy and sovereignty of the country,” Khan’s sister Aleema Khan said, addressing a rally.
Khan’s party and family have repeatedly raised concerns about his health in prison, claiming he has suffered deteriorating eyesight including vision loss in one eye, and has been denied adequate medical treatment. Pakistani authorities have dismissed the allegations of mistreatment.
