UN experts condemned on Wednesday the conviction of the lawyers and human rights defenders, Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, by the District and Sessions Court in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Several independent experts, including the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, Margaret Satterthwaite, and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, called the trial “an arbitrary use of the legal system.” According to the UN experts, the Pakistani court is applying lengthy prison sentences against Mazari and Chattha to deter them from exercising their human rights. They stated that “[l]awyers, like other individuals, are entitled to freedom of expression. The exercise of this right should never be conflated with criminal conduct, especially not terrorism.”

The two human rights lawyers were convicted to 17 years of imprisonment on January 24 for multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The case was initiated by a post on the platform X, where Mazari and Chattha criticized the military forces of Pakistan for their involvement in human rights violations.

The experts claim that Pakistani authorities used the legal system as an “instrument of harassment and intimidation in order to punish them for their work advocating for victims of alleged human rights violations.” Evidence suggests that the two lawyers were subjected to ten criminal complaints from 2020. The latest conviction comes despite the court’s grant of protective bail.

The case is evidence of possible violations of Pakistan’s obligations under international law. The right to freedom of expression is protected under Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Moreover, this instrument provides for the right to a fair trial under Article 14, complemented by the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers which ensure that professionals are not targeted for defending their clients. The experts stated that the actions of Pakistani authorities could have “a chilling effect on civil society in the country.”

The Special Rapporteurs contacted Pakistan with these concerns. Other international rights organizations, including the Islamabad Bar Council, issued similar petitions to ensure a fair trial for both Mazari and Chattha.