Pakistani Lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha Awarded Prestigious Human Rights Prize

Prominent Pakistani lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha were recently awarded the prestigious Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize, an announcement that emerged on Tuesday. The award recognizes their extensive advocacy work in human rights.

The Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize is known as the world’s oldest and most esteemed human rights honor specifically for lawyers. It was established in 1898 in tribute to French lawyer Ludovic Trarieux, who founded the League for the Defence of Human and Citizen Rights. Notable past recipients include Nelson Mandela, who received the award in 1985 while imprisoned under South Africa’s apartheid regime. An official press release from the Forensic Union for the Protection of Human Rights (UFDU) specified that the award is given annually to a lawyer who has made an extraordinary contribution to human rights, the rule of law, and the fight against racism and intolerance through their professional commitment.

The award ceremony for the 2026 prize took place in Rome at the Parlamentino Hall of the National Bar Council. Antonino Galletti, Coordinator of the European and International Law Commission at the National Bar Council, was present at the event. Separately, the ‘Bar of the Year 2026’ prize was awarded to the South Sudan Bar Association.

Throughout his career, Hadi Chattha has represented individuals accused of blasphemy, victims of sexual violence and enforced disappearances, and death row inmates. Imaan Mazari-Hazir has provided legal assistance to victims of violence and persecution and has supported vulnerable religious and ethnic communities. Both lawyers have shared a long-standing commitment to defending fundamental freedoms, including representing journalists, activists, victims of enforced disappearances, and individuals prosecuted for blasphemy charges. This work has occurred against a backdrop of increasing pressure on lawyers and human rights defenders in Pakistan, according to international organizations and observers. The jury, by awarding the prize, recognized their professional and personal contributions to upholding the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, and access to justice.

Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha have been in jail since January. Their arrest stemmed from a case involving a protest outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) where they were accused of manhandling the IHC Bar Association (IHCBA) president. Shortly after this, a sessions court sentenced them to 17 years in prison in a separate case concerning social media posts.

The social media case originated from a complaint filed on August 12, 2025, by an assistant director from NCCIA Islamabad at the Cybercrime Reporting Centre, FIA, under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016. Imaan Mazari was accused of disseminating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organizations, while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her content. In January, the sessions court sentenced them to 10 years for cyber terrorism (Section 10 Peca), five years for glorification of an offence (Section 9 Peca), and two years for false and fake information (Section 26-A Peca). They challenged their conviction by filing separate appeals in the IHC on February 7, and subsequently moved another appeal in the Supreme Court on April 30, seeking an early hearing.

Imaan Mazari’s mother, Shireen Mazari, posted on X about the award, describing it as an “immense professional honour” and expressing gratitude for her daughter's recognition.

According to Dawn Pakistan, these developments were reported recently.