Islamabad, June 22 (IANS) Several leading human rights organisations on Monday strongly condemned the continued detention of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, describing their imprisonment as “unlawful”.

The statement came after Imaan and her husband, Hadi, completed 150 days behind bars, prompting renewed concern over the case.

Taking to its social media platform X, Amnesty International said, “Today marks 150 days of unlawful imprisonment of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, simply for their social media posts. Five months on, despite repeated attempts by their legal counsel, their appeal has not been heard yet. The delay in the appeal hearing is in stark contrast to the haste during their trial, which had several procedural irregularities as they were denied substantial time to cross-examine key witnesses against them.”

Meanwhile, another human rights body, Baloch Voice for Justice (BVJ), said that the continued imprisonment of Imaan and Hadi for the last 150 days had raised grave concern over due process and shrinking space for dissent in Pakistan.

“Today marks 150 days since Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali were deprived of their freedom. For 150 days, justice has been delayed while their voices and the principles they stand for remain under attack. The continued detention of individuals for their beliefs and peaceful advocacy raises serious concerns about fundamental rights, due process, and the shrinking space for dissent,” the BVJ stated.

“Silence from institutions only deepens the sense of injustice. Their families continue to wait. Their supporters continue to speak out. Justice demands accountability, fairness, and freedom. Silence is not justice,” it added.

Earlier this month, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) challenged the Pakistan Supreme Court’s May 12 order that directed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to decide on the sentence suspension pleas of lawyers Imaan and her husband, Hadi, in the social media posts case within two weeks, local media reported.

While the May 26 deadline given by the Supreme Court has passed already, the IHC, at the request of the prosecution, adjourned the hearing of Imaan’s and her husband’s pleas requesting suspension of their sentences, leading Pakistani daily Dawn reported.

Earlier in January, a sessions court in Islamabad reportedly sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a combined 17 years in prison and fined each of them 36 million Pakistani rupees on multiple charges in a case linked to social media posts.

The arrest and conviction of the human rights lawyers by the Pakistani authorities have drawn widespread criticism all over the world.

–IANS

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