Two lawyers in Pakistan — Imaan Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha — are facing protracted targeted reprisals, including judicial harassment, in retaliation of their human rights and legal work, as well as their outspoken advocacy for accountability and the rule of law, reported a group of international legal experts who issued a joint statement.
Imaan Zainab Mazari is a prominent human rights lawyer who has represented victims of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and custodial abuse. She has frequently challenged the legality of state practices that the military, police, and intelligence agencies carry out. She is a vocal advocate for the rights of persecuted religious and ethnic communities, and against human rights violations and abuse, especially that of the Pakistan military and security forces.
Her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, is a human rights lawyer and criminal law specialist who has defended individuals falsely accused of blasphemy. He has provided pro bono legal support through the Asma Jahangir Legal Aid Cell and Justice Project Pakistan in cases which involve sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and death row prisoners.
The most recent criminal case against Mazari and Chattha stems from tweets they posted between 2021 and 2025 that criticized the Pakistani military’s role in human rights violations.
Mazari and Chattha are currently facing a trial under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (Peca) due to a complaint that the assistant director (investigating officer) at Pakistan's National Cybercrime Investigation Agency filed. The complaint accuses Mazari of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organizations.” Chattha was implicated for sharing some of her social media posts.
The National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCIA) filed a First Information Report (FIR) on Aug. 22, 2025. It accuses them of "inciting linguistic divisions," which implies that the armed forces are complicit in terrorism. The FIR references commentary on social media on enforced disappearances, the treatment of peaceful political activists, and the state’s counterterrorism and security policies – particularly with regards to the situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. On this basis, the case was registered under sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, exposing Mazari and Chattha to penalties which range from three to fourteen years imprisonment and fines of up to PKR 50 million.
Norwegian Ambassador Per Albert Ilsaas attended the couple's latest Supreme Court hearing on Dec. 11. Pakistan's foreign office summoned the Norwegian envoy and urged him to “adhere to the established norms of diplomatic engagement” after his “unwarranted” attendance. Norway termed the presence of its ambassador at the hearing “in line with international law,” despite Pakistan’s protest.
Mazari defended the envoy’s presence during the hearing, saying that “diplomats routinely observe court proceedings — that is not equivalent to them taking a position on any case.”
Norwegian media outlet Dagbladet reported that Cecilie Roang, senior communications adviser at the Norway’s Foreign Ministry office, said: “Such lawful presence and observation of a court hearing in the recipient state is within the functions of embassies and is in line with international law.” She added that such a presence was something that Norway, along with other countries, did in many places all over the world, particularly in “matters of public interest at the place of duty.”
“Reporting back home about events in the country of service is a core task of diplomacy. Legally attending public court hearings is not an unusual way to gather knowledge,” said Roang.
On Nov. 26, Lawyers for Lawyers, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the Law Society of England and Wales, the International Commission of Jurists, the International Observatory of Lawyers at Risk, and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe issued a joint statement calling on Pakistan to end the judicial persecution of both human rights lawyers:
We have received credible information indicating that the recent indictment and criminal proceedings against the couple, marred by serious irregularities and the denial of due process guarantees, are intended to obstruct their legitimate legal work and retaliate against them for exercising their right to freedom of expression…
The ongoing trial is part of a broader troubling trend of judicial persecution aimed at exhausting the lawyers’ time and resources, discrediting their work, and obstructing their ability to represent victims of state violence. Repeated summonses in cases on baseless allegations have severely disrupted their practice, forcing them to appear before multiple courts across the country, reportedly with the intent of diverting their attention from defending vulnerable clients. Mazari and Chattha are currently on bail in six and five other cases, respectively, including on anti-terrorism charges linked to peaceful protest before the Islamabad High Court, disputes with traffic police, and speeches delivered at human rights rallies advocating freedom of expression. These cases also appear to lack both legal and factual basis and are clearly related to their exercise of the right to free expression.
Mazari and Chattha's trial is not an isolated case. According to Front Line Defenders, an international human rights organization,
Human rights defenders in Pakistan are subjected to a range of attacks and abuses, including extra-judicial killings and violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, brutal sectarian violence, abduction and enforced disappearance, surveillance, threats and judicial harassment. Many HRDs [human rights defenders] have even had their offices attacked or burnt down and their colleagues killed. There exists a culture of impunity for killings of HRDs and this has emboldened perpetrators and fueled further violence against them. Behind the veil of national security, the government continues to muzzle those critical of its policies and of Islam. In addition to this, HRDs are further threatened and intimidated by various non-state actors such as militants and interest groups.
Defenders investigating human rights violations in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) face a particularly hostile climate, as they are targeted by security agencies, religious groups, militants, and armed gangs. Women HRDs face particular risks due to their gender. Besides threats by security agencies and armed groups, WHRDs [women human rights defenders] can receive threats from their own family members, who exert pressure on them to quit their human rights work, or be threatened with the safety of their children.
Front Line Defenders also said it "strongly condemns" the judicial harassment of Mazari and Chattha in Pakistan:
The human rights defenders have been targeted with a sustained campaign of legal reprisal stemming from tweets published by them which are critical of the conduct of the Pakistani state, particularly human rights violations by the military and intelligence agencies. Following the formal indictment on 30 October 2025, the human rights defenders have been denied basic due process rights including the right to fair trial, legal representation and face the risk of a lengthy jail sentence as reprisal for their work.
Front Line Defenders urges the authorities in Pakistan to immediately dismiss the baseless legal case against Imaan Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, ensure that they do not suffer further interrogations or harassment, and guarantee their right to freedom of speech and to carry out their human rights work free from reprisals and threats to their physical and mental safety.
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