The former prime minister and cricket legend has been fighting legal battles since being removed from power in 2022. The former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of having exposed official state secrets, his party said on Tuesday. "Former prime minister Imran Khan and PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) vice-president [Shah Mahmood] Qureshi have been sentenced to 10 years each inside prison in the cypher case," a PTI spokesperson told AFP.   The sentencing comes as Pakistan approaches elections slated for February 8.    Imran Khan's legal troubles "We will challenge today's court proceedings before the Supreme Court," PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said. Khan was sentenced to three years in August after being convicted of corruption, but a court suspended that jail term. Khan and Qureshi have pleaded not guilty ever since being indicted for exposing state secrets in October. Khan was granted bail in the case in December. But he remained behind bars due to the various other legal troubles he was facing since being ousted from his position as prime minister in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. The 71-year-old cricket star-turned-politician has claimed that the charges against him were intended to stop him from running in the upcoming election. He also said he had been targeted by a US-backed conspiracy over his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Osama Malik, a legal expert in Islamabad, called the verdict "excessive, [but] not entirely unexpected," telling DW that "Imran Khan had admitted on television about misplacing the encrypted diplomatic cables."   'No free and fair elections' "We foresee that the sentence will have a positive impact on us and strengthen us. We will ensure to increase the number of voters reaching polling stations to vote for PTI and we will fight for the free political participation of the people in this process," PTI spokesperson Raoof Hasan told DW.   "We believe that there will be no free and fair elections," he added, pointing out that many PTI leaders have either been jailed or are threatened with arrest. "We have not been allowed to campaign freely and carry out political activities." Qamar Cheema, an Islamabad-based political analyst, said the verdict will put Khan's party in a "disadvantageous position." "The political environment seems to favor Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto, as voters seem to believe that Khan's party cannot win the elections. Swing voters will shift to parties which have clear chances of winning the elections," he told DW.   What role does the military play in Pakistan's elections? Khan remains one of the most popular politicians in Pakistan and despite being behind bars — and thus blocked from standing in the election — he still wields huge political power. His supporters have regularly protested in the street, but the PTI party has also faced its own crackdown. In mid-January, a Pakistani court ruled that the party must drop its cricket bat symbol, effectively forcing the candidates to run as independents without their famous symbol that had helped the many illiterate voters identify the party. The key player in Pakistani politics is the powerful military that has held the reigns of power for decades — sometimes doing away with elections entirely.  Khan's fate has been tied to his relationship with the generals who once favored him but with whom he has since fallen out. The experience of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who was previously removed from power and who fled into exile, has been somewhat reversed as he is now considered the favorite in February's vote and his past falling out with the military appears to have been forgiven.  

A Dhaka court has sentenced Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, chairman of Grameen Telecom, and three others to six months in jail over labour law violations. Dhaka Labour Court 3 judge Sheikh Marina Sultana announced the verdict on Monday (January 1, 2024) and later granted them bail after they filed separate petitions. The court also fined them Tk5,000 under one section and Tk25,000 under another, in default of which they would have to spend an additional 10 and 15 days in prison. The labour court gave them one month to file an appeal in the High Court to challenge the judgement.    Dr Yunus and the three other accused in the case – Grameen Telecom CEO Md Ashraful Hassan, Managing Director M Shahjahan and Trustee Nurjahan Begum – appeared in court at 1:35pm. Dr Yunus was facing more than 100 other charges over labour law violations and alleged graft.  Last month, after one of the hearings, Yunus told reporters that he had not profited from any of the more than 50 social business firms he had set up in Bangladesh. "They were not for my personal benefit," he said. The department noticed several labour law violations during an inspection at Grameen Telecom, according to case files.  In August, 160 global figures, including former US president Barack Obama and ex-UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon, published a joint letter denouncing "continuous judicial harassment" of Yunus. The signatories, including over 100 of his fellow Nobel laureates, said they feared for "his safety and freedom". A case was filed on September 9, 2021, by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishment against Dr Muhammad Yunus and three others for violating labour laws. The violations include failing to permanent the jobs of 101 workers and employees, not forming a workers' participation fund and welfare fund, and failing to provide 5% of the company's dividend to workers.

Former movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 16 years in prison for the rape of a woman in a Beverly Hills hotel room a decade ago. A Los Angeles court on Thursday sentenced former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein to 16 years in prison after convicting him of the rape and sexual assault of an Italian actor and model in 2013. The 70-year-old is already serving a 23-year sentence for a separate conviction in New York in 2020 for similar sex crimes. The sentence increases the possibility that the former film producer spends the rest of his life in prison. Weinstein became the face of powerful men who had gone unpunished for their violence against women until the #MeToo movement shed a public light on his crimes. He was found guilty of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault in December but was acquitted of the sexual battery of a massage therapist and the jury was unable to reach a decision on counts involving two other women. Weinstein maintains innocence He is appealing the verdicts in both the New York and LA cases.  "I maintain that I'm innocent. I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1," Weinstein told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench. The name Jane Doe 1 was given to the woman he was convicted of raping in a hotel room in February 2013 during a film festival. The woman he was convicted of raping cried in the courtroom as he spoke. She had earlier told the judge of the pain she felt after the rape. "Before that night I was a very happy and confident woman. I valued myself and the relationship I had with God," the woman told the judge. "I was excited about my future. Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me. There is no prison sentence long enough to undo the damage.'' The co-founder of Miramax Films was found guilty of sexual misconduct in New York in February 2020. He was extradited to an LA prison in July 2021 to face trial there. His attempts to appeal the New York conviction so far have failed, but the state's highest court has agreed to hear a further appeal. He is eligible for parole in New York in 2039.

The federal judge said the case sounded like the plot of a crime novel or a spy movie, before sentencing the US Navy engineer and his wife to roughly 20 years for putting the country at risk. A US district federal judge handed down long prison sentences on Wednesday to a US Navy engineer and his wife for their scheme to sell confidential information about US nuclear submarines to representatives of a foreign government. Judge Gina Groh called the couple a "great danger" to US national security. What happened in court? Based in Annapolis, Maryland, the couple was first charged and arrested for the crime in October of 2021. Jonathan Toebbe, 44 tried to sell details about the design and performance of nuclear submarines to someone he believed was a foreign government agent for $100,000 (€99,761.5) in cryptocurrency. His wife, Diana, acted as a lookout during the several "dead drops" of information to what turned out to be an undercover FBI agent. "This is an exceptional story, right out of the movies," Groh said, sentencing Jonathan Toebbe to over 19 years in prison and his wife to nearly 22 years behind bars. "(Their) actions and greedy self-serving intentions placed military service members at sea and every citizen of this country in a vulnerable position and at risk of harm from adversaries," the judge said in court. Groh had earlier rejected their plea for reduced punishments. The defendants described the couple's struggles with mental health and alcohol, adding that they were anxious about the political climate of the country and believed US democracy was in danger. This belief overwhelmed Jonathan Toebbe and pushed him to take "precipitous action" to save his children from harm. Groh enhanced the couple's punishment, exceeding the previously agreed range of up to 17 years for the engineer and a mere 3 years for his wife. The judge noted that earlier sentencing range was "strikingly deficient" considering the seriousness of the case. 'Like a crime novel' Documents from the court revealed that Diana, a teacher at a private school in Maryland, acted as a lookout during drops where they would conceal memory cards full of information into objects like chewing gum wrappers and peanut butter sandwiches. They were arrested during one such drop in Jefferson County, West Virginia in 2021. The documents on the Virginia-class submarines did not fall under the "top secret" or "secret" category, but were rather in the "confidential" bracket. In one message to the undercover FBI agent, Jonathan Toebbe said he had been considering these actions for several years and was happy to work with a "reliable professional partner." He also wrote that he had divided the information into 51 packages which he would sell for $100,000 (€99,700). In a hearing last December, prosecutors argued that the couple was looking to flee the country due to their contempt for then US President Donald Trump. On searching the couple's home, federal agents found a trash bag of shredded documents, thousands of dollars in cash, passports and a "go-bag" with a USB flashdrive and latex gloves.  During the five-hour combined hearing on Wednesday, Diana Toebbe admitted that she tried to send two letters to her husband while in jail. The letters were intercepted and read out in court. In it, she directed he husband to lie about her involvement in the plot and say she "didn't know anything about any of this." She also directed him to flush the letter after reading it. Judge Groh noted that Diana Toebbe lacked genuine remorse about her actions. Brice Miller, a special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service said the couple had put the country at risk in their attempt to contact a foreign government with sensitive information. "The Toebbes betrayed the American people and put our national security at significant risk," he said in a statement.

Two Belgian activists who threw soup on 'Girl With a Pearl Earring' have been given short jail terms by a Dutch court. This was the third such incident involving famous European artworks in recent weeks. Two Belgian climate activists received two-month prison sentences on Wednesday, one of which is suspended, for attacking the renowned "Girl with a Pearl Earring" painting by Johannes Vermeer at a museum in the Netherlands. The incident was the latest in a string of attacks against art masterpieces in Europe, in an attempt to raise awareness regarding climate issues.  The activists' trial was fast-tracked, as they were charged with destruction and "open violence" against the painting. A third activist will face court on Friday, after refusing the fast-track trial. Dutch prosecutors had called for a four-month prison sentence, with two months suspended. They argued that the defendants"smeared" the painting because they "felt their message took precedence over everything else." However, the judge said her sentence was meant to refrain from discouraging demonstrations. The activists belong to the climate group Just Stop Oil Belgium. In reaction to the verdict, the group said in an email seen by  Reuters news agency: "Isn't it ironic that climate activists who nonviolently oppose the mass slaughter of life on Earth are being condemned?" How did the attack unfold? On October 27, images emerged on social media that showed activists throwing tomato soup over the painting at the Mauritshuis museum in the Hague. One of the activists glued himself to the painting, which was behind glass, and another to the wall next to the masterpiece. A third activist threw the soup at the painting. The museum said the painting was undamaged. It was returned on display a day after the attack, with the glass covering it replaced. Similar previous attacks Climate activists from Just Stop Oil Britain, which is independent from Just Stop Oil Belgium, threw soup at Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" at London's National Gallery some three weeks ago. Activists in Germany similarly threw mashed potatoes last week at a Claude Monet painting in Potsdam, a city near Berlin, to protest fossil fuel production. Both paintings, as with Vermeer's painting, were enclosed behind protective glass shielding and weren't damaged. Climate activists in Europe have been gluing themselves to famous paintings throughout the summer to lodge their protest against new gas and oil extraction projects.  The protests have ramped up as world leaders prepare to gather in Egypt for the United Nation's annual climate conference, COP27, later this week.  

A Chattogram court today sentenced five activists of banned Islamist outfit Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) to death in a case filed over the bomb attacks at two Jam-e-Mosques inside the Isha Khan Naval Base at Patenga during the Jumma prayers on December 18 in 2015. The death penalty awarded are former Navy member M Sakhawat Hossain, ballkeeper Abdul Mannan, Ramzan Ali, Babul Rahman alias Roni and Abdul Mannan's elder brother JMB member Abdul Ghaffar. Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal of Chattogram Judge Mohammad Abdul Halim delivered the verdict in presence of four convicted persons except Sakhawat Hossain. According to the prosecution story, in brief, the bomb exploded in the two Jam-e-Mosques inside the Isha Khan Naval base at Patenga within 10 minutes during the Jumma prayers on December 18, 2015. Along with the Navy members, locals also offered prayers in the mosques on Friday. A total of 24 military-civilian people were injured in the blasts. On September 3, 2016, nine months after the explosion, Naval Provost Marshal Commander M Abu Sayed filed two separate cases under the Anti-Terrorism and Explosives Act in the city's EPZ Police Station over the blasts. The accused in the case are former Navy member M Sakhawat Hossain, ball keeper Abdul Mannan, Ramzan Ali and Babul Rahman alias Roni and JMP chief coordinator of Chattogram region Raisul Islam Khan Noman alias Nafis alias Fardin.   Fardin was killed in an explosion while making grenades at Sherpur in Bogra on April 3, 2016. Due to this, his name was excluded from the charge-sheet of the case. Inspector Mohammad Osman Gani of the EPZ Police Station submitted the charge-sheet before the court accusing five JMB men including Abdul Ghaffer on October 15, 2017. The accused were also fined Taka 50 thousand each. In the case, the court framed charges against the militants on January 28 in 2020. After examining 17 prosecution witnesses, out of 24, the court pronounced the verdict today in presence of four convicts. Source: BSS AH

A special tribunal in Dhaka today sentenced 20 people to death and life imprisonment to another five in a case lodged over the murder of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) student Abrar Fahad.    Judge Abu Zafar Md Kamaruzzaman of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 pronounced the judgement in the crowded courtroom this noon. The judge started reading out the short judgement at 12 noon and finished at around 12.12 pm.    The 20 convicts, who were sentenced to death are- Mehedi Hasan Russel, Anik Sarker Opu, Ifti Mosharraf Sakal, Md Mehedi Hasan Robin, Md Meftahul Islam Jeon, Muntassir Alam Jemmy, Khandaker Tabakkharul Islam Tanvir, Md Muzahidur Rahman, Md Moniruzzaman Monir, Hossain Mohammad Toha, Md Mazedur Rahman Mazed, Shamim Billah, ASM Nazmus Sadat, Md Mizanur Rahman alias Mizan, Shamsul Arefin Rafat, SM Mahmud Setu, Morshed Amatya Islam, Morsheduzzaman Jisan, Mostaba Rafid and Ehteshamul Rabbi Tanim. Of the 20, the last three are yet to be arrested and were tried in absentia.    The tribunal also sentenced Muhtasim Fuad, Moaj Abu Hurayra, Istiak Ahammed Munna, Amit Saha and Md Akash Hossain to life imprisonment. The court also fined those Taka 50 thousand each, to suffer one year more behind the bars in default.    The tribunal in its observation said the convicts tortured and subsequently killed Abrar based on the false allegation of being an activist of Shibir (Islami Chhatra Shibir).    "That brutal incident saddened the people of the whole country. The convicts are being given maximum punishments to stop repetition of such heinous incident," the court said.    Abrar's father and plaintiff of the case Barkatullah, who was present at the courtroom during the pronouncement of the judgement, expressed satisfaction over the verdict and hoped that it would be upheld by the High Court also.    "We want quick execution of the judgement," he said.    Barkatullah also thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Law Minister Anisul Huq, lawyers, police and other concerned parties for the quick disposal of the case and the judgement.    Chief Prosecutor Mosharraf Hossain Kazal in his initial reaction said the prosecution is satisfied by this judgement as it would help to get rid of the stigma of this brutal killing at an educational institute.    Earlier police brought the 22 accused, who have been arrested so far, from Keraniganj Central Jail to the court at around 9.20 am and kept them at the lockup amid heightened security. They were produced at the courtroom at around 11.42 am.    The tribunal on November 14 had set November 28 to pronounce the judgement in the case as both the prosecution and defence concluded their closing arguments on that day. But on November 28, the tribunal deferred the pronouncement of the judgement till today as the verdict was not prepared.    Earlier on September 8, the tribunal had framed charges in the case afresh allowing a prosecution plea.    A total 46 out of 60 prosecution witnesses have testified in the sensational case.    Earlier on November 13, 2019, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court took into cognizance the charge sheet in the case filed by Detective Branch (DB) of police against 25 accused. The case was later transferred to the speedy trial tribunal, allowing a plea of Abrar's father.    The tribunal on September 15, 2020, had framed charges against all 25 accused in the case. Of those arrested, eight had given confessional statements before the court.    BUET students and the varsity authorities found the seemingly lifeless body of Abrar, 22, on first-floor stairs of Sher-e-Bangla Hall and rushed him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), where doctors declared him dead at around 6.30 am on October 7, 2019.    He was brutally beaten to death by a couple of leaders of the then BUET unit of Chhatra League over his posts on Facebook.    Abrar's father Barkatullah filed the case with Chawkbazar Police Station against 19. Source: BSS AH

A Dhaka court on Sunday sentenced three men to death for killing North South University student Saidur Rahman Payel.   Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-1 Judge Abu Zafar Mohammad Kamruzzaman handed down the verdict in presence of the convicts.   The convicts are -- ‘Hanif Paribahan’ bus driver Jamal Hossain, his assistant Foysal Hossain and supervisor Md Jony.   Fifth semester NSU student Payel, son of Golam Mawla of Halishahar in Chattogram, was found dead in a canal at Bhaterchar in Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj on July 23, 2018.   A case was filed against three people, the driver, helper and supervisor of ‘Hanif Paribahan’ bus, at Gazaria Police Station the next day.   Jony, the supervisor, confessed to his involvement in the killing after his arrest from Motijheel. Police later arrested bus driver Jamal and helper Faisal from Arambagh in the capital.   On April 2 last year, a tribunal framed charges against the trio and finished hearing arguments on October 4.   On July 25, 2018, Jony gave a detailed account of the murder. He told the court that the Dhaka-bound bus from Chattogram was stuck in a tailback at Bahterchar on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in the early hours of July 22, 2018.   At that time, Payel got down from the bus to respond to the call of nature. As the bus started moving when the traffic jam eased, Payel started running to catch the bus.   The driver eventually stopped the bus but Payel’s head was smashed after it got stuck in the gate and he fell onto the road. He was unconscious and bleeding from his mouth and nose.   Later, the supervisor informed the bus driver about the situation. After a brief discussion, the trio threw Payel into the canal from a nearby bridge around 4:30am while he was still breathing.   Other passengers on the bus were asleep at the time of the incident.   The autopsy report said Payel drowned after being thrown into the canal. Source: UNB AH

A Dhaka court today (Monday) sentenced expelled Jubo Mohila League leader Shamima Nur Papia and her husband Mofizur Rahman Sumon to 20-year imprisonment in an arms case. Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge KM Imrul Qayesh passed the order, sentencing the couple 20-year imprisonment in one section of the act, while they were sentenced to seven-year imprisonment in another. Both the sentence would run concurrently, meaning the couple would have to suffer total 20 years behind the bars. The court on September 27 set today to pronounce judgement as both the prosecution and defence concluded their closing arguments and rebuttal in the case. The prosecution on September 8 ended their testimony in the case as they produced a total of 12 witnesses on different hearing dates. The court on August 23 framed charges in the case. Investigation officer (IO) and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Sub-Inspector Arifuzzaman filed charge-sheet against the couple in the case on June 29, making 12 people witnesses. Earlier on February 22, RAB arrested Papia and her husband, along with two of their accomplices, from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport with counterfeit banknotes, foreign currencies and cash. RAB later raided their two luxurious flats in the capital’s Indira Road area and recovered a foreign-made pistol, two magazines, 20 bullets, five bottles of foreign liquor and Taka 58.41 lakh in cash, among other things. Source: BSS AH

Rifat Sharif’s wife Aysha Siddika Minni and five others have been sentenced to death for killing him in Barguna in broad daylight last year. District and Sessions Judge Md Asaduzzaman delivered the verdict Wednesday. The other convicts are — Rakibul Hasan Rifat Farazi, Al Kaiyum alias Akon, Hasan, Mohaiminul Islam Sifat and Hridoy. Four others — Musa, Sagor, Rabbi and Saimun – were acquitted. Rifat’s father Dulal Sharif said he was satisfied with the “exemplary sentence”. Minni’s father on the other hand cried foul. “We didn’t get justice. We’ll move the High Court,” he said. Rifat, 22, was hacked to death in broad daylight in the district town on June 26 last year. He was attacked near the main gate of Barguna Government College. Surveillance camera footage showed his wife Minni apparently trying to save him. Twenty-four people were accused in the murder case filed by Rifat’s father. Minni, initially named as a witness, was later arrested on July 16 last year and made an accused. Sabbir Ahmed alias Nayon Bond, the main accused, was killed in an alleged gunfight with police on July 2. A Barguna court on January 1 indicted Minni and nine others for Rifat’s murder. Meanwhile, 14 other underage accused are being tried separately at a juvenile court over Rifat’s murder. Source: UNB AH