Pakistani human rights activists condemn arrest of lawyers on charges creating a security risk

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s police on Monday arrested a Pakistani lawyer and her husband who are known for taking on human rights cases, drawing criticism from rights groups.

Islamabad police announced in an X post that they arrested Amaan Mazari and Abdul Hadi on a charge of interfering in government matters to cause a security risk, after the couple days earlier had forcibly tried to remove a road blockade placed by police in the capital for the security of England’s cricket team.

Mazari before her arrest had said that she tried to remove the barricade as they were late to get to a court in the city.

Pakistan’s independent human rights commission said on X that it condemned the arrest of the couple “on vague charges of ‘creating a security risk.’

“Both are committed, well-respected human rights defenders whose arbitrary arrest is symptomatic of the rapidly shrinking space for activists in Pakistan,” it said, calling for the couple’s immediate release and for charges against them to be dropped.

Rights workers in Pakistan have increasingly come under attack from Pakistan’s government, restricting the space for criticism and dissent. Mazari and Hadi often represent journalists, political and human rights activists who are detained by security forces without going through the procedures of notifying families and presenting them before the courts.