ISLAMABAD: Prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, were arrested by police in Pakistan’s capital on Friday while on their way to a court appearance, a family member said, in a case that has drawn attention to tensions over freedom of expression and prosecution of critics.

Mazari-Hazir, one of Pakistan’s most outspoken civil liberties lawyers, and Chattha are being prosecuted, among other cases, under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) over posts on X that authorities say incited ethnic divisions and portrayed the military as involved in “terrorism.” Both reject the allegations. If convicted under the relevant PECA provision, they face a prison term of up to 14 years.

A district and sessions court had directed law enforcement to arrest the pair in mid-January saying they had repeatedly failed to appear in hearings, and non-bailable arrest warrants were reissued.

“Imaan and Hadi were on their way to court when police arrested them without showing warrants or a copy of the FIR,” Shireen Mazari, Imaan’s mother and a former federal minister, told Arab News. 

Police could not be reached for comment.

Earlier this week, an anti-terrorism court rejected the couple’s pre-arrest bail applications in a related case tied to a scuffle outside the Islamabad High Court, resulting in the couple spending the night at the Islamabad High Court Bar Association office to avoid arrest.

The couple’s legal troubles have drawn criticism from lawyers’ associations and rights groups, who argue that the proceedings reflect broader concerns about freedom of expression and the prosecution of activists in Pakistan. The Islamabad High Court Bar Association and the Islamabad Bar Association both condemned what they described as an “illegal and unconstitutional move” by police, calling for lawyers to gather at the police station where the couple were being held.

Mazari-Hazir has a history of representing clients in cases involving alleged abuses, including enforced disappearances. Her work on sensitive human rights issues, including missing persons and other civil liberties cases, has drawn public attention over several years, and she has been involved in legal battles that critics say are connected to her activism and criticism of state policies.

Enforced disappearances have been a longstanding concern in Pakistan, with activist groups estimating thousands of cases over the past decade and calling for greater transparency and accountability. The government and military deny involvement.