Pakistan police re-arrest prominent rights lawyer after top court granted bail

Pakistani authorities have re-arrested prominent human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, just hours after the country's top court granted bail and overturned their sentences in a cybercrime case, according to Mazari's lawyer Faisal Siddiqi. The couple was apprehended from prison in connection with allegations of protesting and blocking a road in Islamabad, though Islamabad police declined to comment on the matter.

The Supreme Court had previously suspended their 17-year prison sentences, raising concerns among activists. Mazari, a vocal critic of Pakistan's military, and her husband, also a lawyer, were convicted in January for allegedly posting anti-state messages on social media. Both deny the charges, alleging persecution for speaking out against the disappearances of nationalist activists.

Mazari's mother, Shireen Mazari, who served as human rights minister under former Prime Minister Imran Khan, expressed gratitude to the Supreme Court for granting justice to the couple. Mazari has garnered international recognition for defending ethnic minorities and journalists in Pakistan. She and her husband were initially convicted under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act for criticizing military operations in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

UN experts, Amnesty International, and other groups questioned the fairness of the trial. Pakistan maintains its judiciary to be independent.