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Human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha were re-arrested in Pakistan just hours after the Supreme Court granted them bail and suspended their sentences, according to a report by Amnesty International.
As cited in the Amnesty International report, Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty Internationals Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said the re-arrest dispels any pretence that the charges against the two lawyers are anything other than a politically motivated attempt to punish them for their human rights work. Pant said the case demonstrates the authorities alleged willingness to weaponise the legal system against critical voices, while describing the latest charges against the lawyers, related to their participation in a peaceful protest, as unjustified. The Pakistani authorities must stop misusing the justice system to target Imaan and Hadi, Pant said, according to Amnesty International. He called for their immediate and unconditional release, with no further charges being brought to prolong their detention. According to the Amnesty International report, Mazari-Hazir and Chattha were granted bail and their sentences were suspended by the Supreme Court of Pakistan on September 17, after nearly eight months of what Amnesty described as arbitrary detention. The two lawyers were originally arrested on January 23 and were sentenced the following day to prison terms ranging from 10 to 17 years under Sections 9, 10 and 26-A of Pakistans Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. As cited by Amnesty International, the convictions were linked to social media posts that were critical of the authorities. The charges included allegations relating to glorification of an offence, cyber terrorism and the dissemination of false or fake information. However, their release was not carried out immediately following the Supreme Court's decision. According to the report, at around 9:30 pm on September 17, while the paperwork for their release was being processed, Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha were taken into police custody inside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. They were subsequently produced before an anti-terrorism judge, who ordered that they be remanded to Adiala Jail for 14 days. Amnesty International said the new case against the two lawyers had been registered on March 22, 2025. According to the report, they have been accused of chanting anti-government slogans and allegedly blocking roads during a protest. The charges include Sections 188, 341, 506, 353 and 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code, covering allegations including disobedience of a lawful order, wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation and obstructing or using force against public servants. They have also been charged under Section 7 of Pakistans Anti-Terrorism Act. Amnesty International said the latest proceedings against Mazari-Hazir and Chattha should not be used to prolong their detention. Pant, as quoted by Amnesty International, said the two lawyers should be allowed to meet their friends and families and continue their work representing victims of human rights violations. (ANI)
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