On 16 June 2020, after more than seven months of relentless campaigning, there has finally been a breakthrough in the case of disappeared activist and father Muhammad Idris Khattak. Authorities admitted that they have him in their custody and that they will be charging him under the 1923 Official Secrets Act (OSA). While it is a relief that Idris Khattak is alive, his whereabouts remain unknown and a conviction under the OSA could result in a lengthy prison term or the death sentence. As a patient of diabetes requiring daily medication, the health of Khattak is at even greater risk during the COVID-19 outbreak as the conditions of his detention remain unknown and he remains at risk of torture or ill-treatment.
