Islamabad lawyers to boycott court hearings over couple’s rearrest — Dawn
The Islamabad Bar Association in Pakistan announced a boycott of court proceedings for Saturday, September 19, in protest against the rearrest of human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha. Dawn reports.
Rearrest after Supreme Court ruling
Pakistan’s Supreme Court suspended the couple’s sentences and ordered their release on bail in a case related to social media posts. In that case, Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Chattha were sentenced to 17 years in prison on several charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.
Late on Thursday evening, after the Supreme Court’s decision, Islamabad police rearrested the couple near Adiala Jail in another case. They were taken to an anti-terrorism court, which ordered that they be kept in custody under judicial remand.
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Bar Association’s position
The second case was registered on March 22, 2025, at the Kohsar police station in Islamabad following a complaint by city magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Chandio. According to the FIR — a First Information Report — Mazari-Hazir and her husband were accused of chanting anti-government slogans and blocking roads.
The Bar Association stated that the rearrest undermines the authority of judicial proceedings and violates fundamental rights and the principle of the rule of law. It also expressed concerns over the practice of detentions in cases involving “unknown” FIRs.
The organization demanded the immediate release of Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Chattha and the disclosure of full details about the cases and circumstances of their detentions. The association also said it would take possible measures to protect the independence of the judiciary, the rule of law and human rights.
