Pakistan's Supreme Court allows military trials of civilians over 9 May 2023 unrest; all 105 civilians tried were convicted, ICJ says trials lack public hearings and reasoned judgments
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On 9 May 2025 a five-judge Constitutional Bench of Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled 5-2 that civilians accused over the 9 May 2023 attacks could be tried in military courts, reversing an earlier ruling, and directed the government to legislate a right of appeal to high courts within 45 days. Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Naeem Akhtar Afghan dissented, calling the convictions without jurisdiction. On 21 December 2024 the military announced sentences of 2 to 10 years for 25 civilians, saying convicts retain the right to appeal. The International Commission of Jurists says all 105 civilians tried were convicted and that the trials lacked civilian-court appeal rights, public hearings and written reasoned judgments.
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