Stories
UN Experts Demand Immediate Release of Pakistani Lawyers Mazari-Hazir, Chattha
- •UN human rights experts have called for the immediate release of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha.
- •The experts urged Pakistan to withdraw what they described as unfounded criminal and terrorism-related charges against the couple.
- •Mazari-Hazir and Chattha were rearrested on September 17, 2026, on terrorism charges, hours after Pakistan's Supreme Court granted them bail in an older case.
- •The UN experts criticized the use of an older case following their bail release as an attempt to punish freedom of expression and human rights advocacy.
- •They also condemned the use of vague counter-terrorism provisions to restrict human rights and interfere with legitimate advocacy, urging Pakistan to drop all charges and ensure access to legal counsel and medical care.
Key Questions Answered
UN human rights experts urged Pakistan to immediately release Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, calling for the withdrawal of unfounded terrorism-related charges. They noted that the couple was rearrested on September 17, 2026, just hours after being granted bail, in what appears to be an attempt to use the criminal justice system to punish freedom of expression and human rights advocacy.
The lawyers were rearrested on September 17, 2026, on terrorism-related charges linked to an older case from March 2025 concerning their participation in an alleged illegal protest. This action occurred only hours after Pakistan's Supreme Court granted them bail.
An Islamabad anti-terrorism court rejected a police request to hold the couple in custody for 30 days of interrogation, instead ordering a 14-day judicial remand to jail. Subsequently, on September 22, the anti-terrorism court returned their bail petitions because they lacked signed powers of attorney.