Islamabad: The Baloch Students Council (BSC) in Islamabad strongly condemned the ongoing trial against lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha in Pakistan, describing the charges filed under the country's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) as "politically motivated".
Human rights activist and lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, were reportedly indicted by an Islamabad court in October in a case linked to alleged controversial social media posts.
The students' body stressed that the use of vague and broadly framed laws to suppress dissent by the Pakistani authorities represents a clear attempt to silence critical voices in an already shrinking political environment. It added that the trend underscores how rapidly civic and democratic spaces are being closed.
"The manner in which the trial of Iman and Hadi Ali Chatta has been conducted highlights the desperation of those in positions of power to silence voices of resistance. Both individuals have been unwavering advocates for the Baloch people and for Baloch students in Islamabad. Their principled stance against enforced disappearances and state repression appears to be the reason they are being targeted. Any attempt to silence them directly contributes to the further weakening of civil society that stands with the Baloch," read a statement issued by the BSC Islamabad.
"Iman Mazari's only crime has been standing with the families of the forcibly disappeared, amplifying their voices at international forums, and fighting legal battles on behalf of Baloch students in Islamabad. The ongoing trial of such prominent lawyers, conducted without fulfilling basic legal requirements, exposes the urgency with which the judiciary seeks to silence dissenting voices," it added.
Expressing concern, the organisation said that if prominent lawyers can be prosecuted in this manner, the level of suppression faced by ordinary people in Balochistan can only be imagined, especially in a region where a total media blackout conceals the severity of human rights violations.
"This is not merely an attempt to silence two individuals, it is a broader message intended for all those who have consistently stood with marginalised Nations, particularly the Baloch," it asserted.
The BSC urged international organisations and human rights defenders to intervene and call upon the Government of Pakistan to end the misuse of the legal framework to criminalise political dissent.
--IANS