In a significant escalation of dissent suppression in Pakistan, human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha were sentenced to 17 years in prison on January 24, 2026, for tweets criticizing military abuses in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Their trial, which concluded in under three months, has raised serious concerns about the weaponization of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) to silence critics. The court cited multiple provisions of PECA, including Section 10 on cyber terrorism and Section 26A, which criminalizes spreading false information that harms national security. The couple, who have actively defended vulnerable populations, claims they are being targeted for their activism against powerful state institutions, particularly in light of a reported 25% increase in crimes against women in 2025, as documented by Sahil. Mazari, 32, has a history of working on cases involving enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, while Chattha has defended survivors of sexual violence and individuals facing blasphemy accusations. Both deny any wrongdoing and assert that they are being persecuted for their legal work against the military's actions in Balochistan, where allegations of enforced disappearances persist amidst a long-standing separatist insurgency.