The Human Rights Watch (HRW) has once again called upon the government to respect international human rights laws while trying the miscreants behind the violent protests of May 9.

In a statement issued today, the rights body has said, “The Pakistan government should immediately transfer civilians set to be tried in military courts to the civilian justice system.”

The HRW noted that Pakistan’s military court judges are serving officials and are not independent from the government and that no independent monitoring of military trials in Pakistan has been allowed in the past. Defendants have often been denied copies of judgments with the evidence and reasoning in the verdicts in their cases.

HRW associate Asia director Patricia Gossman has said, “The Pakistani government has a responsibility to prosecute those committing violence, but only in independent and impartial civilian courts.

“Pakistan’s military courts, which use secret procedures that deny due process rights, should not be used to prosecute civilians, even for crimes against the military,” she added.