Advocacy group condemns 'unlawful and unjust' trial of Pakistani human rights lawyers

Islamabad, Dec 4 An advocacy group, Women in Law Initiative (WIL) Pakistan, has strongly condemned what it described as the "unlawful and unjust" manner in which the trial under the country's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA) is being conducted against Pakistani lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha.

Human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, were reportedly indicted by an Islamabad court in October in a case linked to alleged controversial social media posts.

In a statement, the WIL said the conduct of the trial is incompatible with the rule of law, the constitutional guarantee of due process, and Pakistan's obligations under international human rights frameworks

Expressing concern over the fairness of the trial, the advocacy group stated that a previous state counsel in the case publicly said that he had received 15 questions with instructions to ask in cross-examination, but said he "could not ask dictated questions".

"This startling disclosure, that a state-appointed lawyer was being made to act on dictated instructions, raises an alarm about the complete erosion of fundamental due process guarantees in the trial process. This admission exposes the compromised trial process. Rather than addressing these concerns transparently, the court proceeded to appoint yet another state counsel, despite both accused clearly and repeatedly expressing that they have no confidence in the newly appointed counsel," read a statement issued by the WIL.

"Even more alarming is the unprecedented speed with which the new state counsel concluded the cross-examination of five (05) prosecution witnesses within mere hours. The haste with which these critical stages were rushed through undermines the integrity of the proceedings," it added.

Citing publicly reported information, the WIL noted that the judge called police officers to forcibly escort Imaan and Hadi out of the courtroom while the trial was in progress, thereby barring them from being present during the cross-examination of witnesses.

"The unlawful conduct towards Advocates Imaan and Hadi has grave implications not only for them individually but for the broader independence and safety of the legal community in Pakistan," the group said.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) voiced support for Imaan and Hadi, condemning the escalating "misuse" of cybercrime, terrorism and judicial processes to punish legitimate dissent.

"The FIR filed by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency under PECA criminalises criticism of the military's conduct, violating constitutional and international protections on freedom of expression and fair trial. Moreover, the pressure on Ms Mazari-Hazir and Mr Chattha, their arbitrary arrest despite court attendance and reported denial of counsel of choice, reflects a systemic intent to silence and exhaust voices defending victims of state violence," the HRCP posted on X.

The rights body demanded the withdrawal of "baseless charges and an end to intimidation in this manner".

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