New York, Oct 31 (IANS) Several leading international human rights organisations as well as activists on Saturday strongly condemned the 10-year prison sentences handed down to Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in connection with a security breach case.
Describing the verdict as an escalation of the Pakistani government’s crackdown on civil society, US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Pakistani authorities to immediately quash the convictions, release Imaan and Hadi Ali, and cease criminal proceedings aimed at punishing human rights advocates.
“Prosecuting two human rights lawyers for terrorism sends a chilling message to everyone who speaks up for fundamental rights in Pakistan. The authorities should quash the outrageous 10-year sentences handed down to Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha,” said Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at HRW.
“Punishing lawyers and human rights activists for defending rights leaves those they represent without protection. Concerned governments should press Pakistan to end its crackdown on human rights advocacy,” Gossman said.
The remarks came after a Pakistani anti terrorism court on Thursday sentenced Imaan and Hadi to 10 years in prison each and fined Rs 1 lakh each under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.
The case was registered at Islamabad’s Aabpara Police Station over allegations that the couple threatened national security by interfering in state affairs during an international cricket team’s visit to Pakistan in October 2024, Pakistani media reported.
Raising alarm over the conviction and sentencing, the BNM said that the verdict demonstrates that those who speak out against Pakistan’s repression, injustice and human rights violations, particularly those advocating for the rights of the people in Balochistan, are subjected to “state vengeance rather than granted justice”.
The BNM said that “Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha have stood alongside Baloch political activists, victims of enforced disappearances and their suffering families, providing them with legal assistance and amplifying their voices. The lengthy prison sentences imposed on them are an attempt to silence all those who refuse to bow to state repression.”
Furthermore, the Baloch Women Forum (BWF) sharply criticised the “harsh verdict”, calling it a blatant assault on fundamental rights, freedom of expression and the very principles of justice.
“The use of anti-terrorism laws to punish dissent and target human rights defenders is a deeply alarming abuse of the legal system that must not be tolerated. Imaan Mazari has courageously stood with the oppressed, challenged state excesses and raised her voice for those denied justice. Punishing her for human rights advocacy sends a chilling message to every individual who dares to speak against injustice,” the BWF stated.
“A system that imprisons those demanding justice while silencing dissent cannot claim to uphold the rule of law,” it added.
–IANS
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