Global rights group says activist Ali Wazir’s detention, prosecution highlight Pakistan’s ‘arbitrary, unlawful’ actions

Islamabad, April 24 Global rights watchdog Amnesty International has stated that 20-month long detention and ongoing prosecutions against human rights defender and former parliamentarian Ali Wazir in Pakistan highlight a pattern of "arbitrary and unlawful" against him. Amnesty has urged Pakistani authorities to immediately release Ali Wazir.

According to the statement released by Amnesty International, Pakistani authorities arrested Ali Wazir in Hyderabad on March 16. He was arrested shortly after bench of the Sindh High Court approved his bail in a separate case earlier that day. Authorities then charged him under anti-terrorism laws. Since his arrest, authorities have filed two additional cases against Wazir.

Previously, he was arrested in December 2020 on sedition charges related to speeches criticising state institutions. He remained in prison for over two years before his release in February 2023 after acquittal in one case and bail in others. He was again arrested in August 2023 along with other members of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and a human rights lawyer. Wazir was released later.

However, his repeated arrests form part of a broader pattern of targeting his activism. He has also faced personal risks with armed groups targeting his family, killing several relatives, including his father, brothers, uncles, and cousins.

In a statement, Amnesty International stated, "Ali Wazir has faced repeated arrests since 2020. Authorities have charged him in dozens of cases that appear intended to keep him in detention and silence his activism. He has spoken out against extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and discrimination and violence against the Pashtun minority. His 20-month detention and ongoing prosecutions highlight a pattern of arbitrary and unlawful action against him. Pakistani authorities must immediately release Ali Wazir."

Amnesty International stated that Pakistani authorities have intensified their crackdown on the movement. In October 2024, Pakistani authorities banned PTM under anti-terrorism laws. In March this year, the Peshawar High Court upheld the ban, while a request to overturn it remains under review.

The watchdog stated that Pakistani authorities have used preventive detention laws to keep Ali Wazir in detention without trial. These laws allow detention for up to 90 days and have been repeatedly applied to stop his release, despite courts granting him bail.

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