Pakistan: Bushra Bibi Khan’s incarceration circumstances in are criticized by a UN expert.

Pakistan: Bushra Bibi Khan, the wife of a former Pakistani prime minister, is being held in circumstances that fall far short of minimal international standards, according to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture.

According to a press release from the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR), Bushra Bibi Khan, the wife of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, is being held in conditions that could seriously jeopardize her physical and mental integrity, according to a UN expert. Authorities are urged to act quickly to resolve the situation.

The UN Special Rapporteur on torture, Alice Jill Edwards, said, “The State has an obligation to protect Bushra Bibi Khan’s health and ensure conditions of detention compatible with human dignity.”

Bushra Bibi Khan, who is now being detained at Adiala Jail, is allegedly confined to a tiny, airless cell that is characterized as dirty, hot, and plagued with mice and insects, according to the OHCHR news release. According to reports, power outages cause the cell to go black. According to reports, she is given contaminated drinking water and food that has too much chilli powder in it.

Significant weight loss of around 15 kg, repeated infections, periods of fainting, and untreated medical consequences, such as a tooth abscess and a stomach ulcer from claims of tainted food from a previous time of detention, have all been attributed to these illnesses.

“Such conditions fall far below minimum international standards,” Edwards said. “No detainee should be exposed to extreme heat, contaminated food or water, or conditions that aggravate existing medical conditions.”

The expert reminded Pakistan that the age, sex, and health conditions of prisoners must be considered while choosing the location and conditions of confinement.

According to the press release, Bushra Bibi Khan is also often kept in near-total isolation for more than 22 hours every day, sometimes for more than 10 days, without access to her personal doctors, exercise, reading material, legal counsel, or family visits.

“The authorities must ensure Khan has the possibility to communicate with her lawyers and receive visits from family members, and have meaningful human contact throughout her detention,” Edwards said.

According to the Special Rapporteur, “prolonged isolation of this kind heightens psychological distress and impedes access to essential safeguards.” “Coupled with untreated medical needs, it poses an acute risk.”

Imran Khan, 73, the prime minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022, is married to Bushra Bibi Khan. Since his arrest in August 2023, he has also been incarcerated.

Bushra Bibi Khan’s predicament has been officially brought up with the Pakistani government by the Special Rapporteur, who will keep a careful eye on developments.

According to Dawn, a local court in Pakistan on Tuesday extended the temporary bail of PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse in cases related to the May 9 violence, among other matters. The court also ordered the former prime minister to attend the upcoming hearing in person or via video link.