Rights body says 10-year PECA sentences are part of ‘systematic harassment’ of lawyers
Lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Amnesty International’s South Asia branch has condemned the convictions of human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha, calling them part of a “systematic campaign of harassment” against rights defenders in Pakistan.
Pakistan: Human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha have been behind bars for a month now, simply for exercising their right to freedom of expression. They were sentenced to 10 years in prison under Pakistan’s Electronic Crime Prevention Act on 24 pic.twitter.com/BssnLSbNm2
— Amnesty International South Asia, Regional Office (@amnestysasia) 25 February 2026
In an urgent letter dated February 2, Amnesty had earlier called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to immediately and unconditionally release the two lawyers and annul their sentences.
Mazari, 32, and Chattha, 33, were on January 24 sentenced to 10 years in prison under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) by a district court in Islamabad. They were convicted under Sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyber terrorism) and 26-A (false or false information) for posts on X expressing solidarity with Baloch and Pashtun activists and criticizing the policies of the Pakistani military.
They were arrested on 23 January while traveling to court, despite having secured bail before their arrest on 21 January. Amnesty said eyewitnesses reported the use of unnecessary force during their arrest. The lawyers remain incarcerated in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.
Amnesty raised concerns about what it described as a “rushed trial”, saying the two were denied the right to cross-examine witnesses and present evidence in their defence. It also noted that the conviction was announced while a transfer application against the presiding judge, whom the lawyers had accused of bias, was still pending.
“Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha are being targeted solely for their advocacy and work defending human rights in the country,” Amnesty said.
According to the rights group, the two lawyers have faced repeated arrests in recent years. Mazari was arrested in August 2023 on terrorism charges after a speech at a rally and was released on bail a week later. In October 2024, both were detained on terrorism charges related to the removal of police barricades during an international cricket team’s visit to Islamabad.
A case was filed against them in August 2025 under PECA over alleged “anti-state” posts, leading to arrest warrants. Although they were granted bail before arrest, it was later cancelled. Additional charges were brought through a previously undisclosed FIR in connection with a protest in Islamabad.
Amnesty said that immediately before the sentencing, Mazari informed the court via video link that she was denied food and water in prison and boycotted the trial over alleged mistreatment in prison.
Read: Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali Chattha granted bail by ATC in police brawl
The organization warned that their imprisonment affects the journalists, activists and victims of enforced disappearances and blasphemy allegations they represent. “The use of laws such as PECA to silence and criminalize peaceful dissent is a matter of grave concern and a clear violation of Pakistan’s obligations under international human rights law,” it said.
Amnesty also linked the case to what it described as a wider crackdown on freedom of expression in Pakistan. Since PECA was passed in 2016, it says journalists, human rights defenders and opposition supporters have been detained and harassed under the law. Amendments in January 2025 further restricted online speech by adding Section 26-A, which allows up to three years in prison for “false or false information”.
The rights body called on the government to end the abuse of cybercrime and other criminal laws against human rights defenders and ensure fair trials in line with international standards.
