Islamabad, Nov 6 — Leading human rights organisation Amnesty International, along with 22 other international civil society organisations, on Friday strongly condemned the sentencing of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, saying the convictions mark a significant escalation in the misuse of the criminal justice system.
“We, the undersigned international civil society organisations, strongly condemn the recent sentencing of prominent Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha to 10 years’ imprisonment under anti-terrorism legislation and three years’ imprisonment under the Pakistan Penal Code. The convictions mark a significant escalation in the extensive misuse of the criminal justice system against the two lawyers and raise serious concerns about the anti-terrorism legislation used to criminally punish and intimidate lawyers undertaking permissible human rights work,” the organisations said in a joint statement.
A Pakistani anti terrorism court on October 29 sentenced Imaan and Hadi to 10 years in prison each and fined Rs 1 lakh each under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.
“We are concerned that the trial, which took place inside Adiala prison in Rawalpindi, failed to meet fair trial standards. According to reports, Mazari-Hazir and Chattha were kept in a cage-like structure inside the courtroom throughout the trial, preventing effective communication with their legal counsel and the court,” the statement said.
The case was registered at Islamabad’s Aabpara Police Station over allegations that the couple threatened national security by interfering in state affairs during an international cricket team’s visit to Pakistan in October 2024, Pakistani media reported.
In September, Amnesty International had condemned the re-arrest of the two lawyers just hours after Pakistan’s Supreme Court granted them bail, accusing authorities of misusing the justice system to target critical voices.
“The successive proceedings in the barrier removal case, and their prolonged deprivation of liberty despite the Supreme Court’s intervention, reinforce our concern that the criminal proceedings are calculated to make an example of the two lawyers and risk creating a chilling effect on the independence of the legal profession in Pakistan and on access to justice more broadly,” the statement said.
The organisations called on the Pakistani government to immediately and unconditionally release Imaan and Hadi, and take appropriate steps to have the convictions against them quashed.
“We stand in solidarity with Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, and with all lawyers in Pakistan who continue to defend human rights and the rule of law despite the fear of reprisals,” the statement added.