UN experts on Wednesday called on Pakistan to immediately release human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha and to drop all charges against them, which they say have no justifiable basis.
Mazari-Hazir and Chattha were rearrested on September 17, 2026 on charges relating to an alleged illegal protest from March 2025. The arrest took place hours after the Supreme Court of Pakistan granted them bail following eight months of arbitrary detention. They stand accused of chanting anti-government slogans and allegedly blocking roads under sections 188, 341, 506, 353 and 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code. They are also charged under section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. These charges largely concern a right to freedom of expression.
In August 2025, Pakistan initiated criminal prosecution against Mazari-Hazir for posting on social media. The content of the posts were alleged to be “anti-state” and “falsified information.” X subsequently took down the posts. Chattha was prosecuted for furthering the spread of “false and fake information.” The married couple was convicted of offences under sections 9, 10 and 26-A of Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016. They each received multiple concurrent sentences of imprisonment, totalling 17 years. They also incurred a fine of 36 million rupees each.
Mazari-Hazir and Chattha have represented victims of state oppression for years. “Their clients have included journalists targeted under Pakistan’s anti-terrorism and cybercrime laws, people accused under blasphemy laws and victims of enforced disappearance.” UN experts warn that this pattern towards prosecution against the couple suggests “arbitrary use of the legal system as an instrument of harassment and intimidation to punish them for their work advocating for victims of alleged human rights violations.”
Freedom of expression is an international, fundamental human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). UN experts recall that international standards require governments to protect lawyers from intimidation, improper interference, and prosecution relating to professional duties. These same standards also protect lawyers’ freedom of expression. The International Observatory of Lawyers argue that these charges are a part of a recurring pattern of “judicial persecution” against the couple.
The proceedings are progressing at a concerning speed. UN experts are expressing worry over procedural fairness and have contacted Pakistan with their concerns.