Lawyers for Lawyers, the International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute, the Law Society of England and Wales, the International Commission of Jurists, and the International Observatory of Lawyers at Risk express deep concern over the ongoing judicial harassment of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha. 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.
Imaan Zainab Mazari is a prominent human rights lawyer who has represented victims of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and custodial abuse, frequently challenging the legality of state practices carried out by the military, police, and intelligence agencies. Her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, is a human rights lawyer and criminal law specialist who has defended individuals falsely accused of blasphemy and provided pro bono legal support through the Asma Jahangir Legal Aid Cell and Justice Project Pakistan in cases involving sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and death row prisoners. Both lawyers have faced targeted reprisals, including judicial harassment, for their human rights and legal work, and their outspoken advocacy for accountability and the rule of law.
Imaan Zainab Mazari is a prominent human rights lawyer who has represented victims of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and custodial abuse, frequently challenging the legality of state practices carried out by the military, police, and intelligence agencies. Her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, is a human rights lawyer and criminal law specialist who has defended individuals falsely accused of blasphemy and provided pro bono legal support through the Asma Jahangir Legal Aid Cell and Justice Project Pakistan in cases involving sexual violence, enforced disappearances, and death row prisoners. Both lawyers have faced targeted reprisals, including judicial harassment, for their human rights and legal work, and their outspoken advocacy for accountability and the rule of law.
The most recent criminal case against Mazari and Chattha stems from tweets posted between 2021–2025 that criticized the Pakistani military’s role in human rights violations. The First Information Report (FIR), filed by the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCIA) on 22 August 2025, accuses them of ‘inciting linguistic divisions’ and implying 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,[1] exposing Mazari and Chattha to penalties ranging from three to fourteen years imprisonment and fines of up to PKR 50 million for their legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression, protected under international and Pakistani law.
