Amnesty International on Thursday, 18 September 2026, condemned the re-arrest of Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha just hours after Pakistan's Supreme Court granted them bail, accusing authorities of weaponising the justice system against critical voices. The global rights body called for their immediate and unconditional release.

What Happened

A division bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday granted both lawyers bail and suspended their sentences in a case linked to social media posts. Within hours, however, the two were re-arrested — a sequence that Amnesty International described as exposing the politically motivated nature of the charges against them.

Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty International's Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said: 'Imaan and Hadi's re-arrest dispels any pretence that the charges against them are anything other than a politically motivated attempt to punish them for their human rights work. Their case demonstrates once again the authorities' willingness to weaponise the legal system against critical voices.'

The Charges and Judicial History

Imaan and Hadi were first arrested on 23 January. The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) sent them to 14 days' judicial remand. The very next day — 24 January — a District and Sessions Court sentenced each of them to 17 years in prison and imposed a fine of PKR 36 million each on multiple charges arising from social media posts.

Both lawyers challenged their conviction before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and also sought suspension of their sentences. With the matter still pending before the IHC, the couple moved the Supreme Court directly. The Supreme Court bench on Thursday raised questions over the IHC's conduct, noting it was 'strange' that the high court had referenced the apex court's 12 May order but did not follow it, according to Pakistani daily The Express Tribune.

Amnesty's Demand

Pant stated that the latest charges — reportedly filed for attending a peaceful protest — were 'not only absurd but an insult to their lifelong commitment to human rights.' He demanded that Pakistani authorities stop misusing the justice system to prolong their detention.

'The Pakistani authorities must stop misusing the justice system to target Imaan and Hadi. They must be released immediately and unconditionally, with no further charges to prolong their detention. Imaan and Hadi should be free to meet their friends and family and to do the work they love — representing victims of human rights violations,' Pant said.

Broader Context

This is not an isolated case. Rights groups have repeatedly flagged Pakistan's use of the Anti-Terrorism Act and social media laws to detain journalists, lawyers, and activists critical of the state. The re-arrest of two individuals minutes after a Supreme Court bail order marks an especially stark escalation — and invites questions about whether lower enforcement agencies are operating outside judicial authority, or with the tacit backing of it.

International attention on Pakistan's human rights record has intensified in recent months, with civil society organisations documenting a pattern of arrests targeting legal professionals and dissidents. The Mazari-Hazir and Chattha case is likely to draw further scrutiny at international human rights forums.