Twenty-three international civil society organisations have condemned the sentencing of two prominent Pakistani human rights lawyers, Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, to 10 years in prison under anti-terrorism legislation.
The organisations, including Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), described the convictions as a serious escalation in what they called the misuse of Pakistan’s criminal justice system to intimidate lawyers and human rights defenders.
In a joint statement published on November 6, 2026, the organisations said the Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court convicted the two lawyers on October 29 over an incident involving the alleged removal of security barriers on a road in Islamabad in October 2024, during the transportation of England’s visiting cricket team.
The court found them guilty under Section 7(h) of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 and Sections 186 and 353 of the Pakistan Penal Code. They were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, alongside fines totalling 200,000 Pakistani rupees.
The organisations expressed concerns about the fairness of the trial, which was conducted inside Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi. They alleged that the defendants were kept in a cage-like structure in the courtroom, limiting their ability to communicate effectively with their lawyers.
They also raised concerns that the defence team was denied sufficient access to the defendants and adequate opportunities to challenge the prosecution's evidence.
According to the statement, both lawyers denied the allegations and maintained that the charges were fabricated to punish them for their professional activities and peaceful human rights advocacy.
The organisations further recalled that Pakistan’s Supreme Court had granted the lawyers bail and suspended their previous 17-year sentences on September 17, 2026, over social media posts described by authorities as anti-state.
However, they were reportedly rearrested on the same day in connection with another case involving a 2025 protest. They were subsequently granted bail in that case on November 3.
The signatories argued that the repeated arrests and prosecutions could undermine judicial independence, restrict freedom of expression and discourage lawyers from defending politically sensitive cases.
They called on Pakistani authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Mazari-Hazir and Chattha, overturn their convictions and discontinue cases allegedly connected to their human rights activities.
The organisations also urged the government to review its anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws to ensure they comply with international human rights standards.
They emphasised that lawyers must be allowed to carry out their professional responsibilities without intimidation, harassment, arbitrary detention or political interference.
The joint statement was endorsed by 23 organisations, including Amnesty International, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, Front Line Defenders, the International Federation for Human Rights and the Law Society of England and Wales.
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