Quetta, Dec 6 (IANS) The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a prominent human rights group, has condemned the trial of Pakistani lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, alleging they are being targeted for a crime they did not commit, and mentioned that the proceedings reflect yet another instance of Pakistani authorities “weaponising the law” against innocent citizens.
The rights body alleged that legal instruments are being employed “not to uphold justice, but to silence those who dare to speak the truth”.
Human rights activist and lawyer Imaan 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.
“Advocate Imaan Mazari and advocate Hadi Ali have long been dedicated to the protection of human rights. Their efforts include advocating justice for victims of blasphemy laws, amplifying the voices of the forcibly disappeared, and challenging unconstitutional practices in military courts as well as broader attempts to erode the rule of law,” the BYC stated.
“Individuals who critique or question the prevailing system are increasingly subjected to legal persecution,” it added.
The BYC further noted that its own leaders have been detained for the past nine months without due cause, while Pashtun Tahafuz Movement leader Ali Wazir has been incarcerated for two years for an offense he did not commit.
“Human rights organizations must urgently intervene to address ongoing violations in Pakistan and to prevent the continued misuse of legal mechanisms as tools of intimidation and coercion against human rights defenders,” the BYC asserted.
Earlier this week, an advocacy group, Women in Law Initiative (WIL) Pakistan, also criticised 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 Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha.
“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. Such conduct strikes at the very heart of our constitutional order, sending a dangerous message – that those who defend rights, uphold constitutional principles, or challenge excesses of power can themselves be turned into targets and subjected to unlawful proceedings,” the WIL stated.
–IANS
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