Pak rights activist denied Covid vax in jail, claims daughter

New Delhi, Jan 12 (IANS) The daughter of incarcerated Pakistani human rights activist, Idris Khattak, has expressed concern over her fathers wellbeing, reporting that the 58-year-old is unvaccinated while being held in a ‘crowded jail cell, Friday Times reported.

She further said that the authorities have denied the family’s multiple requests for Khattak to receive the vaccine against Covid-19.

In a Twitter thread, Talia Khattak stated that she was “concerned about [her father’s] health especially with the 5th wave [of coronavirus] coming. He is there without any charge sheet, [and] we have still not officially been informed about his sentence”.

“He is also not getting appropriate nutrition and medicines that he needs on a daily basis,” she added.

Idris Khattak, a human rights activist from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, had disappeared in Swabi in November 2019. Under pressure from the United Nations and other international groups, he was later found to be in custody of the Pakistan state. He was charged with treason under the Official Secrets Act, 1923.

In December last year, Khattak was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment on charges of espionage for allegedly releasing sensitive information to an unnamed ‘foreign intelligence agency’.

He was tried in a military court despite repeated requests from his attorneys and international human rights groups to have his case moved to a civilian court.

By all accounts, Khattak is a civilian and not a member of the armed forces, the report said.

–IANS

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