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Amnesty International on Wednesday said the recent “arrest and continued detention” of lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali in a terrorism case was a “violation of their rights to due process”.
The couple was arrested on Monday by the Islamabad police for allegedly “creating a security risk” during the England cricket team’s visit by removing road barriers.
A video, shared on social media on October 25, purportedly showed Imaan and Ali moving road barriers to clear the path for traffic.
A day ago, it emerged that a case under terrorism charges had been filed against them. Subsequently, they were sent on a three-day physical remand.
In a statement posted on the X account of its South Asia regional office, Amnesty said: “The arrest and continued detention of human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali under anti-terrorism laws is a violation of their rights to due process and yet another example of the abuse of the Anti-Terrorism Act.”
It highlighted that the charges of terrorism were “not commensurate with any offences the lawyers are alleged to have committed”.
While the police statement had mentioned “interference in state duties” — an offence charged under Section 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code — the first information report (FIR) against the couple also invoked Section 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) of the ATA.
“Such action by the authorities is excessive, disproportionate and in violation of Pakistan’s obligations under international law,” Amnesty said.
It went on to claim that Imaan and Ali were detained on October 28 but informed of the charges 24 hours after their arrest.
Imaan was also “previously arrested and charged for her participation and speech” at a rally by the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement in August 2023, the statement noted.
The organisation called for the “disproportionate charges, particularly related to terrorism”, to be dropped immediately. It further asserted that the “authorities must ensure their right to a fair trial under international human rights law, including unrestricted access to legal counsel”.
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