Baloch Voice for Justice, BVJ has strongly condemned the sentencing of prominent human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha to 10 years in prison each by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad. It raised concerns over judicial independence and the freedom to defend human rights in Pakistan. In a social media post, Baloch Voice for Justice said, Pakistan’s judicial system had increasingly become a tool for suppressing dissent rather than delivering justice. It described the sentencing of the two lawyers, who have represented victims of enforced disappearances and expressed solidarity with Baloch and Pashtun activists, as a matter raising serious questions about the impartiality and independence of the country’s judicial system.
Citing Amnesty International, the BVJ stated that Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha had been deprived of their fundamental right to a fair and open trial. The organisation appealed to international human rights organisations, relevant United Nations bodies and the global legal community to review the cases of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha, particularly the violations of their right to a fair trial. The BVJ urged international stakeholders to raise their voices for the immediate release of the two lawyers and take effective steps towards safeguarding judicial independence, protecting human rights lawyers and addressing ongoing human rights violations in Pakistan
