PEN Norway Joins 28 Rights Groups and Legal Organisations in Calling for the Release of Pakistani Human Rights Lawyers
PEN Norway joins 28 international human rights groups and legal organisations in Pakistan, across Europe, and globally in condemning the arbitrary arrest and harsh sentencing of prominent Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, and in calling for their immediate release and the reversal of their convictions.
Imaan Mazari-Hazir, a pro bono lawyer who visited Norway in June 2025 and received the World Expression Forum (WEXFO) Young Inspiration Award, has long defended victims of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, those targeted under blasphemy laws, as well as journalists and activists critical of state authorities in Pakistan.
The two lawyers were sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment under Pakistan’s controversial cybercrime law following deeply flawed proceedings marked by serious due process violations.
Together with partner organisations in Pakistan, Europe, and international networks, PEN Norway stands in solidarity with Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, Hadi Ali Chattha, and all human rights defenders facing persecution in Pakistan.
Read the complete joint statement here: https://www.lawyersforlawyers.org/international-legal-and-human-rights-organisations-strongly-condemn-conviction-of-human-rights-lawyers-imaan-zainab-mazari-hazir-and-hadi-ali-chattha/
