Responding to the conviction and ten-year imprisonment of Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha today by the Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad, Yasmine Ahmed, Senior Director for Regional Human Rights Impact at Amnesty International, said:
“These convictions are an indictment of Pakistan’s justice system. This was not just Imaan and Hadi on trial, it was a test of the judiciary’s ability to uphold the principles of justice and the right to fair trial. It has failed that test miserably. It is clear that these ‘anti-terrorism’ charges are being used to punish Imaan and Hadi for their human rights advocacy.
“Imaan and Hadi have been consistently denied the right to an open and fair trial, which they were initially barred from attending in person. The trial was later shifted inside the prison premises where they were kept behind a cage-like structure during the hearings.
these ‘anti-terrorism’ charges are being used to punish Imaan and Hadi for their human rights advocacy
Yasmine Ahmed, Senior Director for Regional Human Rights Impact
“Imaan and Hadi are being targeted solely because of their refusal to stop their fearless human rights work and for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The weaponization of anti-terror laws to target dissent has become a norm in Pakistan. This injustice must not continue – we urge the authorities to immediately release Imaan and Hadi and drop all charges against them.”
Background
Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha are human rights lawyers who represent activists and marginalized communities subjected to enforced disappearances, unjust charges by the state and Pakistan’s blasphemy laws. They were sentenced to ten to 17 years’ imprisonment under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) on 24 January 2026 for social media posts criticizing the military and expressing solidarity with Baloch and Pashtun activists. The Supreme Court of Pakistan suspended their sentences and granted
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