PAKISTAN: HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYERS IMPRISONED

Hon. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif,

I am writing to express my concern about the unjust sentencing and conviction of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha.

On January 24, an Islamabad district and sessions court sentenced Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha to ten years each in prison based on their posts on X primarily expressing solidarity with Baloch and Pashtun activists and criticizing the Pakistan military’s policies. Hadi Ali Chattha was charged with resharing Imaan Mazari’s posts.

The trial of the two lawyers was conducted with unusual haste, and they were consistently denied the right to cross-examine witnesses and bring evidence against them. Furthermore, their conviction was announced while a transfer application was still pending against the presiding judge, who Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha had accused of bias.

Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha are lawyers who have defended the rights of countless people and are currently representing journalists, activists, and victims of enforced disappearances and blasphemy allegations. Their imprisonment impacts many of these people who deserve the right to be represented by their lawyers. The use of laws such as PECA to silence and criminalize peaceful dissent is a clear violation of Pakistan’s obligations under international human rights law.

I urge you to immediately and unconditionally release Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha and quash their convictions. I also call on you to end the misuse of the criminal justice system, including cybercrime laws, to target human rights defenders.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]