- Cecilie Roang said the envoy’s actions were “in accordance with international law.”
- Norway observes legal proceedings worldwide: official.
- “Reporting on events in our country, an essential task of diplomacy.”
Norway’s Foreign Ministry defended its ambassador’s presence at the Supreme Court hearing of Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, saying the move was “in accordance with international law.”
“Such legal presence and observation of a court hearing in the receiving state falls within the functions of embassies and is in accordance with international law,” the Norwegian media outlet said. Dagbladet said Cecilie Roang, senior advisor at the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The statement comes two days after Pakistan’s foreign ministry summoned the Norwegian ambassador over his presence at the Islamabad court hearing, with officials saying the act amounted to interference in the country’s internal affairs.
FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said the Additional Foreign Minister (Europe) had summoned the Norwegian diplomat over his attendance at court proceedings, calling it a “violation of diplomatic protocol and relevant international law”.
“Noting that his actions constitute interference in the internal affairs of the country, the ambassador was called upon to adhere to the established norms of diplomatic engagement, as defined in the relevant articles of the Vienna Convention,” Andrabi added.
In a statement released a day ago, Roang confirmed that the Norwegian ambassador had attended and observed a hearing at the Supreme Court, stressing that such actions fell within the routine functions of diplomatic missions and were “both legal and completely normal.”
She said Norway, like many other countries, regularly observes legal proceedings around the world, especially in cases of public interest. “Reporting on events in the country of assignment is an essential task of diplomacy. Legally attending public court hearings is not an unusual way to gain knowledge,” she added.
While FO raised objections to the Norwegian envoy’s presence at the court hearing, Mazari defended his actions as a routine event.
Mazari, responding to an X user’s post criticizing the Norwegian ambassador’s presence at the hearing, defended his actions, saying diplomats “regularly observe” such procedures.
“[…] diplomats regularly observe court proceedings – this does not mean they take a position on a case. This is a common practice,” she wrote in her post on X.
Meanwhile, a three-member SC bench accepted Mazari’s plea against the verdict of the Islamabad High Court, which had rejected the lawyer’s plea to stop the trial in the Additional Sessions Judges’ court.
The court, in its verdict, said the trial in the said case should be stayed until the decision of the IHC.
Mazari and Chattha were booked in a case registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under sections 9, 10, 11 and 26 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016 and were subsequently charged on October 30.
The first information report (FIR) alleges that the couple tried to create divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts.
