Idris Khattak
Detained Since: November 13, 2019.
Charges: Section 3(1)(c) of the Official Secrets Act in conjunction with Section 59 of the Pakistan Army Act, for sharing information "useful to an enemy."
Sentence: 14 years in prison.
Biography: Idris Khattak is a Pakistani human rights defender and a member of the Pashtun minority. For decades, he documented enforced disappearances and human rights violations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas, working as a consultant with Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and collaborating with international organizations such as the Open Society Foundations and the Center for Constitutional Rights. On November 13, 2019, while traveling on the Islamabad–Peshawar Motorway near Swabi, he and his driver were abducted by men in plain clothes believed to be military officers. No arrest warrant was presented at the time of his detention, and his family did not receive confirmation of his whereabouts for more than seven months. In June 2020, the Government of Pakistan admitted that he was being held in military intelligence custody and charged under the Official Secrets Act. During this period, Mr. Khattak was subjected to incommunicado detention, repeated interrogations without counsel, threats against his life and his daughters, and coercion to sign a false confession. He endured prolonged solitary confinement, degrading treatment, and denial of adequate medical care for his diabetes and serious back problems. When his family members were eventually permitted short, heavily monitored visits, they were subjected to humiliating restrictions and surveillance. His first meeting with legal counsel did not occur until 2021, at least fifteen months after his arrest.
Although he is a civilian, Mr. Khattak was tried by a military court – the Field General Court Martial at Mangla – in proceedings closed to the public. The prosecution relied on coerced confessions, secret evidence never disclosed to the defense, and testimony obtained under duress. The court denied the defense access to critical case materials and refused to allow key witnesses, including respected academic Michael Semple, to testify.
In late November 2021, after more than two years in unlawful pretrial detention, Mr. Khattak was convicted of violating Section 3(1)(c) of the Official Secrets Act in conjunction with Section 59 of the Pakistan Army Act. He was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment. The conviction was immediately condemned by Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, and Front Line Defenders, and U.N. experts described the case as emblematic of the misuse of military justice to silence human rights defenders. Mr. Khattak appealed his conviction through the military system, but the proceedings were marked by extraordinary delay and opacity. The appeal was not heard until April 2023 and was denied in January 2025 without a reasoned judgment. Because the Pakistan Army Act prohibits appeals of military court convictions in civilian courts, he has no effective remedy under domestic law.
At sixty-one years old, Mr. Khattak remains imprisoned in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, under harsh conditions. He has been classified as a Class C prisoner despite his professional background, forcing him to endure inferior conditions and prison labor. His health has deteriorated significantly, as he suffers from diabetes, spinal problems confirmed by MRI, and deteriorating eyesight. He relies on his family to deliver medication from several hours away, as prison authorities do not provide adequate medical support. His continued detention constitutes arbitrary imprisonment under international law, because it lacks a valid legal basis, results from his exercise of protected freedoms of expression and association, and denies him fair trial guarantees.
Advocate: Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD)
Advocacy Partner: Freedom House