CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — A professor at the University of Illinois has been arrested and charged with sedition in Pakistan.
Shahbaz Gill is a well-known politician in Pakistan who also works with the Gies College of Business. U of I officials confirmed that he did not teach classes last semester and was not scheduled to teach this semester.
During an appearance on a Pakistani TV station, Gill urged troops not to accept what he called an illegal order from top military leadership. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty.
The university did not respond to a request for further comment about Gill’s case.
Update: the Gies Business Twitter account for the University of Illinois tweeted the following this morning.
“According to many credible news outlets, Shahbaz Gill, Clinical Assistant Professor Business Administration in the Gies College of Business at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was arrested earlier this month by Pakistani authorities.
More recent news reports have detailed allegations that Prof. Gill may have been subjected to abuse while in police custody. Shahbaz Gill is a U.S. permanent resident who has been a member of our faculty for more than a decade. As he is our colleague, we care deeply about his health & well-being, and we abhor violence and abuse of any kind. We call on the government of Pakistan and the international community to ensure that Dr. Gill be treated in accordance with international human rights law.”
Tweeted by Jeffery Brown Dean of Gies College of Business