Amnesty International has urged Pakistan government to immediately and unconditionally release human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, whose convictions and prolonged imprisonment have raised serious concerns over the misuse of cybercrime laws to silence dissent.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Amnesty stated that the two lawyers were arrested on 23rd of January this year, despite having been granted pre-arrest bail two days earlier. The following day, an Islamabad district and sessions court sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 10 to 17 years under provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), including sections concerning cyber terrorism, glorification of an offence and allegedly false or fake information.
According to Amnesty, the charges were linked primarily to social media posts in which Mazari-Hazir expressed solidarity with Baloch and Pashtun activists and criticised policies of Pakistan’s military. Chattha was also prosecuted for resharing her posts. The rights organisation said, the trial was conducted with unusual haste and that the lawyers were repeatedly denied opportunities to cross-examine witnesses and present evidence, raising significant fair-trial concerns. Amnesty stated that continued delays could amount to a violation of their right to appeal and alleged that procedural obstacles were being used to prolong their detention. It also expressed concern over their worsening health in prison.
