US EditionLawyers Arrest Sparks Outcry in Pakistan: A Justice System Under Scrutiny
The couple faces charges under cyber-terrorism laws for social media posts critical of security forces, with their bail canceled on January 15, rights groups say.
- On Friday, Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha were arrested while leaving the Islamabad High Court, taken into custody en route and accompanied by the Islamabad High Court Bar president and secretary.
- A December petition and a mid-January bail cancellation set the immediate legal backdrop; authorities say the couple face trial over X posts targeting state institutions, and since Tuesday they were confined to the Islamabad High Court.
- The contested X posts criticised security forces over missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, filed in August 2025, and questioned forces' effectiveness against the Balochistan Liberation Army and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.
- Mazari wrote on X that the couple were taken to unknown locations and lawyers were denied access despite bringing water, dry fruit, and medicine.
- The developments have intensified scrutiny of Pakistan's justice system and concerns about free expression for human rights defenders critical of the military, as authorities frame the case under cyber-terrorism, hate speech, and false information sections.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Pakistan human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab, husband arrested
Islamabad: Pakistan’s prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha, were arrested on Friday, January 23, while they were en route to a court in Islamabad. The couple was en route to appear in the Additional District and Sessions Court in the controversial tweets case, in which Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka had issued arrest warrants on January 16. Mazari-Hazir’s mother, Dr Shireen Mazari, who was…
Lawyers Arrest Sparks Outcry in Pakistan: A Justice System Under Scrutiny
Prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, were arrested en route to a court in Islamabad. The couple faces charges related to controversial tweets allegedly supporting hostile groups. Their arrest has sparked condemnation from legal bodies and calls for protests.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
