Islamabad, Sept. 8 -- Amnesty International has urged Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to immediately and unconditionally release human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, whose convictions and prolonged imprisonment have raised serious concerns over the misuse of cybercrime laws to silence dissent.

In a letter addressed to the Pakistani prime minister, Amnesty stated that the two lawyers were arrested on January 23, 2026, despite having been granted pre-arrest bail two days earlier. The following day, an Islamabad district and sessions court sentenced them to prison terms ranging from 10 to 17 years under provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), including sections concerning cyber terrori...