An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has handed down a 10-year prison sentence to prominent human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, following a secretive trial. Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the controversial verdict inside Adiala prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.
According to court documents obtained by the AFP news agency, the couple was convicted of allegedly putting “the security of the England and Wales Cricket team at risk.” The judge claimed that the act “clearly shows the intentions and objective of the accused to create a sense of terror.” Interestingly, the ruling simultaneously conceded that the security breach was essentially “a very common nature ordinary type of incident apparently of removal of a barrier.”
The legal proceedings stem from an October 2024 incident where the couple removed road barriers along a designated route for the touring English cricket team in the capital, Islamabad. Indicted on October 7 for allegedly obstructing police and inciting public interest, the defendants maintained a plea of not guilty throughout the proceedings.
In statements publicized by the Reuters news agency, the couple vehemently denied the charges, identifying themselves as “prisoners of conscience” and asserting that they are being selectively targeted for their relentless human rights advocacy. Their defense documentation further argued that they were “being made an example to further cement the chilling effect against those who stand against tyranny, oppression and injustice.”
Shireen Mazari, Imaan Mazari’s mother and a former human rights minister under imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, denounced the verdict, describing the event as a “sham trial without any due process.” She alleged that the defendants were denied representation by their chosen counsel and withheld from accessing vital legal documents, signaling plans to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court.
International watchdog Amnesty International strongly condemned the verdicts, calling them a severe indictment of Pakistan’s judicial framework. Representatives asserted that the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation demonstrates the authorities' apparent willingness to weaponize the legal system against dissenting voices. The couple's ongoing legal troubles, including a previous 17-year sentence under electronic crimes legislation later suspended by the Supreme Court, underscore persistent concerns over civil liberties under the current legal climate.
Source: www.aljazeera.com