7 months ago
Pakistan Ex-Minister Accuses State of Weaponizing Courts to Silence Dissent
A former Pakistani minister, Shireen Mazari, has accused the Pakistani government of using the courts to silence people who disagree with them.
She says this is happening to her daughter and son-in-law, who are being tried for using the term 'enforced disappearance' on social media.
The term is a legal concept, but the government says it's a terrorist narrative.
Many people, including international groups, think this is unfair and that the couple is being punished for speaking out against the government.
The case is moving very quickly, and the couple could go to prison for up to 14 years if found guilty.
Shireen Mazari accuses Pakistan of weaponizing courts to silence dissent, citing her daughter and son-in-law's trial for using the term 'enforced disappearance'.
Mazari-Hazir and Chattha are charged under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, which carries a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.
The case against them is based on tweets criticizing enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and military operations in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
International legal organizations have condemned the trial, describing it as judicial harassment and urging authorities to drop the charges.
The term 'enforced disappearance' is a well-established concept in international law, used by Pakistani courts and politicians, including the current chief minister of Punjab.
- Who
- Shireen Mazari, former Pakistani Minister for Human Rights, and her daughter Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and son-in-law Hadi Ali Chattha
- What
- Accusations of Pakistan weaponizing courts to silence dissent and the trial of Mazari-Hazir and Chattha under cybercrime laws
- Where
- Pakistan
- When
- The case was registered on August 22, with indictment on October 30
- Why
- For using the term 'enforced disappearance' in a tweet, which the state claims incites linguistic divisions and portrays the armed forces as involved in terrorism
Key facts
- Accused Individuals
- Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha
- Charges
- Cybercrime laws for using the term 'enforced disappearance'
- Law Under Which Charged
- Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016
- Maximum Sentence
- Up to 14 years in prison
- Accuser
- Shireen Mazari, former Pakistani Minister for Human Rights
- Alleged Pressure from
- Pakistan's military establishment
- International Response
- Condemnation from international legal organisations
Quotes
Shireen Mazari
Former Pakistani Minister for Human Rights and defence and security analyst
“This contradiction lays bare not only the falsehood underpinning the prosecution but also its mala fide intent. It shows how, in today's Pakistan, words are being weaponised – stripped of their legal meaning and context – to silence human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and all those who question or criticise the policies and actions of the state and its institutions.”
NDTV
“The absurdity deepens when it is pointed out that the very same term has been used repeatedly by Pakistan's Supreme Court, the Islamabad High Court, and other high courts; by politicians, including the current chief minister of Punjab, Maryam Nawaz Sharif; and that Pakistan itself has an official Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances.”
NDTV
