United Nations experts called for the immediate release of human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, on Wednesday and expressed alarm over their re-arrest.

On January 24, an Islamabad sessions court sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a total of 17 years in jail on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) in a case pertaining to social media posts. The convictions of the couple were widely condemned by lawyers and United Nations (UN) experts.

On Sept 17, the apex court suspended the couple’s sentences in the controversial social media posts case and ordered their release on bail against surety bonds of Rs200,000 each. However, they were re-arrested on terrorism-related charges related to a separate older case only hours after the SC granted them bail.

A statement by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders said that the couple must be immediately released and “unfounded criminal and terrorism charges against them” should be dropped.

“Invoking an older case immediately after they were granted bail appears to be an attempt to use the criminal justice system as punishment for freedom of expression and human rights advocacy,” the statement read.

The UN experts said they had followed the proceedings against Mazari and Chattha since January, when they were first arrested. They were of the opinion that the proceedings seemed “intended to punish and intimidate these lawyers” and send a “chilling message” to the profession.

The experts condemned the use of “vague and overbroad” counter-terrorism provisions to hinder the lawyers’ right to promote, protect, and defend human rights, according to the press release.

“International standards provide that governments should protect lawyers from intimidation, harassment and improper interference, and from prosecution for carrying out recognised professional duties. The same standards also protect lawyers’ freedom of expression,” the statement cited them as saying.

The experts said the couple “should already have adequate access to counsel of their choice, to their family, and to adequate and necessary medical care”.