UN Human Rights, legal organisations slam sentencing of lawyers in Pakistan under PECA

Geneva, Jan 30 (IANS) The United Nations Human Rights Office, along with several other human rights and legal organisations, strongly condemned the conviction and sentencing of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chatta, citing concerns over the misuse of laws under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) to suppress dissent across the country.

The remarks came after a Pakistani court last week reportedly sentenced Imaan and her husband, Hadi, to a combined 17 years in prison and fined each of them 36 million Pakistani rupees on multiple charges in a case linked to social media posts.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights described the conviction and sentencing of Imaan and Hadi under PECA, following concerns over fair trial, as "deeply disturbing".

“This case highlights the danger of this law being used to suppress dissent. We urge the Government to protect and uphold freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly in line with Pakistan’s international human rights obligations,” the UN Human Rights office posted on X.

Condemning the judicial persecution, several international legal and human rights organisations said the “arbitrary” arrest and conviction of both the lawyers constituted “the latest escalation in a pattern of continued harassment against the couple in retaliation for the legitimate exercise of their human rights and professional functions”.

“The arrest and sentencing of Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha are emblematic of a broader trend of judicial persecution aimed at exhausting the lawyers’ time and resources, discrediting their work, and obstructing their ability to represent alleged victims of violent abuses perpetrated by state agents. The couple have faced multiple parallel criminal proceedings under anti-terrorism and blasphemy laws, repeated cancellations of bail, and the continued threat of arrest, all compounded by persistent concerns regarding due process violations,” read the joint statement.

“Repeated summonses in cases on baseless allegations have severely disrupted their legal practice and violated their human rights, forcing them to appear before multiple courts across the country, reportedly with the intent of diverting their attention from defending vulnerable clients,” it added.

The signatories stated that the use of PECA over social media posts illustrates how the Pakistani authorities are weaponising the justice system to punish dissent and target legitimate human rights work.

The organisations called on Pakistan to respect and uphold its obligations under international law, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT), while adhering to the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers.

“Lawyers should be able to perform their professional functions without intimidation, hindrance, harassment, or improper interference, and should not be prosecuted for actions taken in accordance with their professional duties or for the legitimate exercise of freedom of expression,” it noted.