Islamabad, Nov. 7 -- International civil society organisations, led by Amnesty International, have strongly condemned the sentencing of prominent Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, describing the convictions as part of a wider pattern of politically motivated persecution and misuse of the criminal justice system in Pakistan.

In a joint statement, the organisations criticised the Islamabad Anti-Terrorism Court's October 29 verdict, which sentenced the two lawyers to 10 years in prison under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) 1997 and three years under the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). They were also fined a combined amount of 200,000 rupees. The prison sentences are to run concurrently.

The convictions ...