Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan hasn’t seen any visitors in more than five weeks, according to his party.
His family say this is partly to stop his words reaching the outside world. They blame the country’s military chief, Field Marshall Asim Munir, a charge the government rejects. It says the meetings stopped because Khan broke jail rules prohibiting discussion of politics.
While Khan may be silenced, he’s far from the only one under pressure.
Journalists, analysts and human rights advocates say the space to disagree with the state is increasingly limited – and the risks greater.
Last weekend, human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband were convicted of sharing anti-state social media posts.
The couple will spend 10 years in jail.
Ahead of sentencing, Amnesty International had called on Pakistan to end “coercive tactics used to silence dissent and intimidate those who defend human rights”.
