An anti-terrorism court has sent human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha to prison for 10 years each, family members have said, over claims that they interfered with security arrangements for England’s cricket tour of Pakistan in 2024. Both reject the accusations.
Prosecutors said the pair removed barriers on a route set aside for the visiting team’s protected convoy and blocked officers at Zero Point, a major interchange in Islamabad, on 25 October 2024. The couple face judgment under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA)—special security law used for terrorism-related offences—plus shorter terms for obstructing and using force against public servants. Those one- and two-year terms run together with the decade-long ATA sentence. The court also ordered each to pay a fine of Rs200,000.
Earlier cases and Adiala Jail
Before this verdict, Mazari and Chattha had already been given prison terms of up to 17 years under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA)—Pakistan’s main cybercrime law—over social media posts critical of the military. The Supreme Court later put those PECA sentences on hold. Family and rights groups say police took them back into custody before a lasting release could follow. They have spent recent months in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
They have been held since 23 January, after an alleged clash outside the Islamabad High Court. The next day brought the PECA convictions. On 17 September the Supreme Court suspended those sentences and allowed bail, yet the same day they were arrested again over a March 2025 protest in which they were accused of anti-government slogans and blocking roads.
What the couple and Amnesty say
In material recorded for the trial, Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha called themselves “prisoners of conscience” and said they were being made an example to deter others who challenge injustice. Chattha said he was being punished for backing his wife’s activism and for choosing a shared life of resisting injustice.
Amnesty International condemned the process, arguing the pair were denied an open, fair hearing. Yasmine Ahmed, a senior Amnesty director on regional human rights impact, called the convictions “an indictment of Pakistan’s justice system” and said Imaan and Hadi were targeted for human rights work and for speech and peaceful assembly. Amnesty also objected to hearings held inside the prison, where the couple sat behind a cage-like barrier.
Mazari and Chattha are known for representing activists, journalists and communities affected by enforced disappearances—cases in which people are taken by unknown actors and their whereabouts are hidden. Mazari’s mother, Shireen Mazari, served as human rights minister under former prime minister Imran Khan.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- 25 October 2024: Alleged barrier removal and clash with police at Zero Point while England’s team was on tour.
- 23 January: Arrest linked to an alleged altercation outside the Islamabad High Court; PECA sentences of up to 17 years followed a day later.
- August: Supreme Court suspended the PECA prison terms.
- 17 September: Bail after the PECA suspension; re-arrest the same day over a March 2025 protest case.
- Recent months: Continued detention in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, through the ATA trial.
- Latest ruling: Ten-year ATA terms each, concurrent shorter public-servant offences, and Rs200,000 fines apiece.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Imaan Mazari aur Hadi Ali Chattha ko anti-terror court ne 10 saal qaid ki saza di hai. Ilzam England team ke security route par Islamabad ke Zero Point par rokawat ka hai, jise dono mante nahi. Pehle bhi unhen social media posts par lambi sazaen mili thin, jo Supreme Court ne rok di thin, magar woh Adiala Jail mein hi band hain. Amnesty ka kehna hai ke muhasiba khula aur munsefana nahi tha.
