A human rights organization has called on Pakistani authorities to halt the judicial harassment of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chatta. The organization labeled the case against them as a “bogus case” related to their “anti-state” tweets. The Islamabad district and sessions court ordered the arrest of Imaan and Hadi within 24 hours, warning of contempt of court for non-compliance.
Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, Babu Ram Pant, criticized the cancellation of bail for the lawyers and the order for their immediate arrest. Pant described the trial of Imaan and Hadi as an abuse of the justice system and called for an end to the coercive tactics used to silence dissent and intimidate human rights defenders. He highlighted the politically motivated charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, emphasizing the violations of the right to fair trial.
Imaan and Hadi were indicted by an Islamabad court in October last year over alleged controversial social media posts. The charges against them, filed under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, accused Imaan of targeting important state institutions through her social media posts. Amnesty International has called for the dropping of all charges against the couple and the cessation of their arrest orders to ensure the protection of human rights defenders.
