Hadi Ali Chattha
The annual Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize was established in 1984 to honour lawyers who courageously defend human rights and the rule of law, often at great personal risk to themselves. First awarded to Nelson Mandela in 1985 while he was imprisoned, the 2026 prize has been jointly awarded to Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha.
Hadi Ali Chattha is a human rights lawyer and a criminal law specialist, who has represented over a dozen victims falsely accused of blasphemy. Hadi Ali Chattha began his legal career with the Asma Jahangir Legal Aid Cell, working pro bono to represent victims of sexual violence, rape and enforced disappearances. The human rights defender has also worked with Justice Project Pakistan on cases of prisoners in death row.
Human rights defenders in Pakistan are subjected to a range of attacks and abuses, including extra-judicial killings and violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, brutal sectarian violence, abduction and enforced disappearance, surveillance, threats and judicial harassment. Many HRDs have even had their offices attacked or burnt down and their colleagues killed. There exists a culture of impunity for killings of HRDs and this has emboldened perpetrators and fuelled further violence against them. Behind the veil of national security, the government continues to muzzle those critical of it’s policies and of Islam. In addition to this, HRDs are further threatened and intimidated by various non-state actors such as militants and interest groups.
Defenders investigating human rights violations in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) face a particularly hostile climate, as they are targeted by security agencies, religious groups, militants, and armed gangs. Women HRDs face particular risks due to their gender. Besides threats by security agencies and armed groups, WHRDs can receive threats from their own family members, who exert pressure on them to quit their human rights work, or be threatened with the safety of their children. While the transgender community in Pakistan has made some strides in recent years, attacks on transgender HRDs remain widespread and the violence has been increasing. HRDs working on religious freedom and minority rights are also targeted.
