(New York) \u2013 Pakistani authorities on September 17, 2026, rearrested human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha soon after the Supreme Court granted them bail, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should immediately release the two and drop the criminal charges against them, which appear aimed to punish peaceful expression and human rights advocacy.
The authorities had originally charged and convicted Mazari and Chattha, a married couple, for social media posts in support of local activists and criticizing the military. The Supreme Court on September 17 granted bail and ordered their release pending the Islamabad High Court\u2019s final decision on their appeals. Hours later, the police rearrested Mazari and Chattha on anti-terrorism charges related to a separate, older case from March 2025 concerning their participation in a protest the authorities allege was illegal.
\u201cPakistani authorities should stop using criminal prosecutions to punish lawyers engaged in peaceful dissent,\u201d said\u00a0Patricia Gossman, senior associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch. \u201cRearresting Mazari and Chatta hours after they were granted bail makes a mockery of the courts and safeguards against arbitrary detention. They should be released immediately.\u201d
Police allege that during the March 2025 protest in Islamabad, Mazari and Chattha were chanting anti-government slogans and blocking a public road, but they were not initially charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Following the rearrest of the lawyers, an Islamabad anti-terrorism court refused to give the police 30 days to hold and interrogate the couple and instead authorized officials to keep them in jail outside of police custody while the case proceeds.
The authorities should disclose the evidence supporting the rearrest and the basis for bringing the case before an anti-terrorism court, Human Rights Watch said. Invoking an older case immediately after they were granted bail raises serious concerns that pretrial detention is being used as punishment.
In January, an Islamabad court had convicted Mazari and Chattha under the draconian Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), in a trial that raised due process concerns, over social media posts that prosecutors characterized as hostile to state institutions, and\u00a0sentenced them to 10 years in prison. Pakistani authorities have repeatedly sought to\u00a0exploit PECA\u2019s vague provisions on \u201ccyberterrorism,\u201d \u201cglorification,\u201d and \u201cfalse information\u201d to target government critics, lawyers, and journalists, stifling free expression and chilling dissent.
The nongovernmental\u00a0Human Rights Commission of Pakistan expressed concern that the successive proceedings against Mazari and Chatta appeared intended to punish and intimidate the lawyers. Lawyers\u2019 associations and bar councils also\u00a0condemned their January arrest.
The\u00a0International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Pakistan ratified in 2010, ensures the right to a\u00a0fair hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal, adequate opportunities to prepare a defense, and the ability to challenge prosecution evidence.
The\u00a0United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers provide that governments should protect lawyers from intimidation, harassment and improper interference, and from prosecution for carrying out recognized professional duties. They also safeguard confidential communication between lawyers and their clients.
The courts should promptly require prosecutors to produce credible evidence of a recognizable criminal offense and justify any continued detention of the couple, Human Rights Watch said. Prosecutors should drop all charges based on protected expression or legitimate legal work and withdraw any remaining charges unsupported by credible evidence. Courts should order the couple\u2019s immediate release unless the authorities establish a lawful and necessary basis for detention. Pending release, they should have confidential access to counsel, family visits, and necessary medical care.
\u201cThe longer the case against Mazari and Chatta drags out, the more the authorities will be discredited,\u201d Gossman said. \u201cThe authorities should drop the charges against the lawyers for asserting their basic rights, which also undermines the rights of others.\u201d
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