LONDON – Secretive British Government documents reveal that UK governmenthas been funding Pakistan Anti Terrorism Courts.
British taxpayers are funding prosecutions in Pakistan that have led todozens of death sentences, according to newly disclosed details of asecretive UK aid programme, *The Guardian*link? reported.
The documents reveal that the UK Foreign Office is supporting specialistcivilian courts that prosecute terrorist suspects in what the UKgovernment’s global security strategy calls a “rule of law” programme inPakistan.
They reveal that the UK government has supported the project since 2016,during which time the courts have handed down 59 death sentences, some ofwhich are likely to be unsafe convictions.
A parliamentary response last week said the UK government had spent £10.39million on the Pakistan programme, the bulk of the money – £9.32m – comingfrom the overseas aid budget.
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One strand of the project, the “counter terrorism associated prosecutorialreforms initiative” (Capri) “aims to increase Pakistan’s civilian capacityto investigate, detain, prosecute and try terrorists in line withinternational standards and human rights norms”. However legalcharity Reprieve says it is impossible for the UK support civilianterrorism courts in Pakistan in accordance with international law becausethe courts do not meet recognised standards.
Campaigners for Reprieve say death sentences are imposed for offences suchas kidnapping, despite international law prohibiting the death sentence foranything but murder.
