ISLAMABAD: Prominent lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha, currently serving jail sentences, have been awarded the prestigious Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize for their advocacy work, it emerged on Tuesday.

An official press release issued by the Forensic Union for the Protection of Human Rights (UFDU) on Saturday said the award is presented annually to a lawyer who, through his or her professional commitment, has made an extraordinary contribution to the defence of human rights. The award ceremony took place in Rome, at the Parlamentino Hall of the National Bar Council.

The press release noted that throughout his career, Mr Chattha has represented people accused of blasphemy, victims of sexual violence and enforced disappearances, and death row inmates. Ms Mazari, meanwhile, has “distinguished herself by providing legal assistance to victims of violence and persecution and by supporting vulnerable religious and ethnic communities”, it said.

Published in Dawn, June 17th, 2026