Amnesty condemns the convictions of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha

Amnesty International’s South Asia section has condemned the convictions of human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha, calling them a “systematic campaign of harassment” against human rights defenders in Pakistan.

In an urgent action letter dated February 2, Amnesty had urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to immediately and unconditionally release the two lawyers and overturn their convictions.

Mazari, 32, and Chattha, 33, were sentenced on January 24 by a district and sessions court in Islamabad to 10 years in prison each under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). They were convicted under sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyberterrorism) and 26-A (false or false information) for posts on X expressing solidarity with Baloch and Pashtun activists and criticizing the policies of the Pakistan Army.

They were arrested on January 23 while on their way to court, although they had been granted bail on January 21. Amnesty said eyewitnesses reported unnecessary use of force during their arrest. The lawyers remain incarcerated in Adiala prison, Rawalpindi.

Amnesty raised concerns over what it described as a “rushed trial”, saying the two men were not allowed to cross-examine witnesses and present evidence in their defence. He also noted that the sentence was announced while a transfer request against the presiding judge, whom lawyers had accused of bias, was still pending.

“Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha are being targeted solely because of their advocacy and work for human rights in the country,” Amnesty said.

According to the human rights association, the two lawyers have been arrested several times in recent years. Mazari was arrested in August 2023 on terrorism charges after a speech at a rally and was released on bail a week later. In October 2024, both were arrested on terrorism charges relating to the removal of police barricades during an international cricket team’s visit to Islamabad.

A complaint was filed against them in August 2025 under PECA for alleged “anti-state” messages, leading to arrest warrants. Although they were granted bail before their arrest, this was later revoked. Additional charges were filed through a previously unknown FIR linked to a protest in Islamabad.

Amnesty said that immediately before the sentencing, Mazari informed the court via video link that she was being denied food and water in prison and that she had boycotted the proceedings due to alleged ill-treatment in custody.

Read: Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha released on bail by ATC in police scuffle case

The organization warned that their imprisonment affects the journalists, activists and victims of enforced disappearances and blasphemy allegations they represent. “The use of laws such as PECA to muzzle and criminalize peaceful dissent is a matter of grave concern and constitutes a flagrant violation of Pakistan’s obligations under international human rights law,” he said.

Amnesty also linked the case to what it described as a broader crackdown on freedom of expression in Pakistan. Since PECA was signed into law in 2016, journalists, human rights defenders, and opposition supporters have been arrested and harassed under the law. The January 2025 amendments further restricted freedom of expression online by adding Article 26-A, which allows up to three years’ imprisonment for “false information.”

The human rights body urged the government to end the misuse of cybercrime and other criminal laws against human rights defenders and ensure fair trial guarantees, in line with international standards.