Dublin, Dec 15 (IANS) Several international human rights organisations on Monday expressed deep concern over what they describe as the ongoing judicial harassment of human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha in Pakistan
Human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, were reportedly indicted by an Islamabad court in October in a case linked to alleged controversial social media posts.
In a joint statement, Front Line Defenders (FLD), along with several global human rights bodies, stated that the prosecution, widely known as the "tweets case", targetted social media commentary critical of the conduct of Pakistani authorities, including allegations of enforced disappearances and other human rights violations in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces.
The case, the organisations said, reflected a broader and troubling pattern of reprisals against those who document human rights violations or demand accountability.
"The trial has been marked by serious procedural irregularities that undermine fair-trial guarantees. Defence teams have reported difficulties maintaining consistent legal representation, with counsel changes and objections to state-appointed lawyers not being upheld by the court. Proceedings have routinely been scheduled on short notice and compressed into an accelerated timetable, depriving the defence of adequate time to prepare," read the joint statement issued by the rights bodies.
The statement added that the indictment of the lawyers under Pakistan's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) demonstrated the increasingly common use of cybercrime legislation to criminalise dissent and silence criticism of state institutions.
According to the rights bodies, the prosecution of peaceful expression raises serious questions of necessity and proportionality under Pakistan’s international obligations, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
"These actions also contravene the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers, which prohibit subjecting lawyers to prosecution, intimidation, or interference for carrying out their professional duties or exercising their right to freedom of expression," the rights bodies stressed.
"The combination of early warrants, parallel complaints, and accelerated proceedings illustrates how the criminal justice system is being used to intimidate public-interest lawyers and chill legitimate advocacy," it added.
The signatories urged the Government of Pakistan to immediately end all judicial and administrative reprisals against Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha and to withdraw all charges arising from their peaceful exercise of freedom of expression and legitimate professional activities.
They further asserted that the Pakistani authorities must also cease the misuse of PECA and move toward its repeal, while also calling on the government to cease deploying other criminal provisions to target dissent or human rights defenders.
Such practices, the rights bodies said, are incompatible with Pakistan's obligations to uphold fundamental freedoms, safeguard due process, and protect the independence of the legal profession under international law.
--IANS
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