Detained Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Dr Mahrang Baloch has expressed solidarity with human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, saying the charges against them reflect the state’s “oppressive tactics” and the use of “colonial-era laws to silence dissent.”

In a statement posted on X, Dr Baloch said the pair had been “at the forefront of human rights advocacy for years,” amplifying marginalized voices and speaking against injustice and abuses of power. She said their courage “must not be met with silence.”

“Freedom of speech, an essential human right, has been denied,” she wrote, arguing that rather than addressing allegations of abuses by state institutions, authorities were “selectively using colonial-era laws to silence activists.”

Dr Baloch described the case against Mazari and Chattha as “fabricated,” saying it exposed how easily Pakistan’s justice system could be used to target those defending fundamental rights. She said both lawyers had consistently highlighted enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and political repression.

She urged the international community to press for the immediate withdrawal of all charges and to demand fair trials and due process. “The use of law as a tool of repression must end. Justice must prevail,” she said.

Meanwhile, Front Line Defenders (FLD), an international human rights organization, also issued a statement condemning what it called the “judicial harassment” of Mazari and Chattha.

The group said both lawyers have been subjected to a “sustained campaign of legal reprisal” for posts critical of the Pakistani military and intelligence agencies, noting that they now face charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).

FLD said the case involves “serious procedural irregularities,” including denial of legal representation of their choice, pressure on court-appointed lawyers, rushed hearings, and the arrest of Chattha despite complying with court summons.

It said the proceedings raise “serious concern over the legitimacy of the trial process” and the risk of a lengthy prison sentence.

According to the organization, the charges form part of a broader pattern of reprisals aimed at obstructing the work of human rights defenders in Pakistan, particularly those dealing with enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detention.

FLD urged authorities to “immediately dismiss the baseless legal case,” ensure the safety of both defenders and guarantee their right to continue their work without intimidation.