(Today’s Prayer) Human rights lawyers and their husbands who criticized Pakistan are sentenced to 17 years in prison… international community, strongly condemns.

The international community has reacted strongly to the sentencing of prominent Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha to 17 years in prison and a hefty fine for posting critical comments on social media about state institutions.

The Islamabad Sessions Court in Pakistan convicted two individuals in January under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The longest sentence was 10 years in prison for cyber-terrorism, and each was fined 36 million Pakistani rupees (approximately $470,000 USD).

Human rights groups have criticized the ruling as politically motivated, pointing out flaws in the trial process and the reduction of civil space and judicial independence.

The United Nations Human Rights Council (OHCHR) expressed deep concern, stating that "criminal sanctions against peaceful expression are incompatible with Pakistan's obligations under international human rights law." The European Union (EU) also criticized the ruling, saying it undermines freedom of expression and the independence of the judiciary, and urged the Pakistani government to ensure fair trial standards.

Amnesty International called their detention "arbitrary" and called for their immediate and unconditional release. International legal organizations, including the International Commission of Jurists and the Bar Association, also issued a joint statement warning that "prosecuting lawyers for their online speech sets a chilling precedent for the entire legal profession."

Pakistan's bar associations staged protests and strikes to condemn the ruling. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) interpreted the case as a sign of the rapidly deteriorating conditions facing activists and lawyers who handle sensitive cases involving state power, religion, and national security.

Iman Mazari, 32, has built a national reputation representing victims of enforced disappearances, abuse in custody, extrajudicial killings, and blasphemy cases. Hadi Ali Chatta has also defended controversial blasphemy cases, exposing a network of blasphemy accusations in court.

Source: Christian Today

For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:7-8)

God, we hear that a Pakistani human rights lawyer couple has been sentenced by a court to 17 years in prison and a hefty fine for posting content critical of state institutions on social media.

May the Lord be with this couple of lawyers, who have legally represented victims unjustly implicated in government-led crackdowns—such as enforced disappearances, abuse during detention, and blasphemy cases—amidst their suffering. Grant them the strength to fulfill their calling to the end, even if imprisoned.

Protect and safeguard not only them, but all lawyers in Pakistan who continue to defend and assist the wrongfully accused in hidden places. May the many powerless souls in Pakistan be freed from unjust accusations and regain their liberty.

May the blasphemy laws, which are being misused to suppress and persecute the religious freedom of Pakistani Christians, be abolished, and may Pakistani Christians be guaranteed and protected in their religious freedom.

Lord, make the Pakistani people a nation that lives for Jesus—who suffered and died on the cross for us sinners, beyond merely risking their lives to fight for what they believe is social justice—and that strives with all their might for the gospel.

May the global church fervently pray for the unjustly imprisoned lawyer couple and for the oppressed Pakistani Christians suffering under laws that suppress religious freedom, so that the prison doors may be opened and the yoke of suffering binding Pakistani Christians may be cast off.

Thus, may Pakistan become a nation that lives for Jesus and the gospel, whether in life or death, testifying to the gospel of the cross to all nations to the ends of the earth, and proclaiming the eternal victory that belongs to Jesus Christ!