LAHORE, Jan 3 (AP): A Pakistani court has sentenced several journalists and social media commentators to life imprisonment after convicting them of inciting violence during the unrest that followed the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2023.

The verdict was announced on Friday in Islamabad by Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra after trials were conducted in absentia, as none of the accused were present in court.

Those convicted include former army officers-turned YouTubers Adil Raja and Syed Akbar Hussain; journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir and Shaheen Sehbai; political commentator Haider Raza Mehdi; and analyst Moeed Pirzada, according to the court ruling.

All of the accused are currently living abroad, having left Pakistan in recent years to avoid arrest.

The convictions stem from cases registered after violent protests erupted in May 2023, when supporters of Imran Khan attacked military installations and government property following his brief arrest in a corruption case.

In the aftermath, Pakistan’s government and military launched a wide-ranging crackdown on Khan’s party and dissenting voices, invoking anti-terrorism laws and military trials to prosecute hundreds accused of incitement and attacks on state institutions.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in 2023 that the investigations appeared to be retaliatory in nature and aimed at silencing critical reporting.

“Authorities must immediately drop these investigations and cease the relentless intimidation and censorship of the media,” said Beh Lih Yi, CPJ’s Asia programme coordinator.

Sabir Shakir, a journalist who previously hosted a popular television programme on ARY TV before leaving Pakistan, confirmed to The Associated Press on Friday that he was aware of the verdict. He said he was not in the country when police accused him of encouraging mob violence.

“The ruling against me and others is nothing but political victimisation,” Shakir told AP.

Under the court’s order, the convicted individuals have seven days to file appeals. The court also instructed police to arrest them and transfer them to prison should they return to Pakistan.