Human rights lawyer couple sentenced to 10 years' prison in Pakistan

Published6 hours ago

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has sentenced human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha to 10 years in prison, over an alleged security breach during a cricket tour in 2024.

The couple were accused of removing road barriers and obstructing police officers in Islamabad - charges that both have denied.

Mazari and Chattha were previously sentenced to up to 17 years in prison for social media posts criticising the military.

Pakistan's Supreme Court had suspended those sentences in August, but police re-arrested the couple before they could be released. They have been imprisoned in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail for the past several months.

This latest case concerns an incident on 25 October 2024, when England's cricket team was touring Pakistan.

Prosecutors accused Mazari and Chattha of removing barriers from a road designated for the team's security convoy and obstructing police officers at Zero Point, a major cloverleaf road junction in Islamabad.

They were each sentenced to 10 years in prison under the Anti-Terrorism Act, as well as additional one-year and two-year terms for obstructing and using force against public servants. All sentences will run concurrently.

The court also fined each of them 200,000 Pakistani Rupees (£541:$723).

In statements recorded during the trial, the couple described themselves as "prisoners of conscience" who had faced state persecution.

"I am being punished for not only supporting my wife's work and activism, but for choosing this path of resisting injustice as our life journey together," Chatta said in his statement to Dawn News.

The couple had earlier said that they were "being made an example to further cement the chilling effect against those who stand (or want to stand) against tyranny, oppression, and injustice".

Amnesty International has criticised the proceedings, saying the couple were denied an open and fair trial.

"These convictions are an indictment of Pakistan's justice system." said Yasmine Ahmed, Amnesty International's Senior Director for Regional Human Rights Impact.

"Imaan and Hadi are being targeted solely because of their refusal to stop their fearless human rights work and for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly."

The organisation also raised concerns that the trial had been moved inside the prison, where Mazari and Chattha were kept behind a cage-like structure during hearings.

The couple have faced several criminal cases in recent months.

They have been in custody since 23 January, when they were arrested in a separate case involving an alleged altercation outside the Islamabad High Court. A day later, they were sentenced to up to 17 years in prison under Pakistan's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act over social media posts critical of the military.

Pakistan's Supreme Court suspended those sentences and granted them bail on 17 September - but they were arrested again the same day in connection with a separate case over a protest in March 2025, in which they were accused of chanting "anti-government slogans" and "blocking roads".

Mazari and Chattha are prominent human rights lawyers who have represented activists, journalists and marginalised communities subjected to enforced disappearances.

Mazari's mother, Shireen Mazari, is a former human rights minister who served in the government of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan.

The couple's convictions have long drawn criticism from international human rights organisations, which have raised concerns about the treatment of lawyers and activists in Pakistan.

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