Lawyers react as Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali get 10-year sentences
Couple sentenced in security breach case
Human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, were sentenced to 10 years in prison by an anti-terrorism court on Thursday. The couple was convicted in a case linked to an alleged security breach involving the route of an international cricket team.
The case dates back to 2024 and also involved allegations of encouraging public unrest. The couple was accused of removing barriers along the team’s security route and was indicted on October 7.
Lawyers question the court decision
The verdict prompted criticism from lawyers and human rights advocates, who raised concerns about the fairness of the proceedings. Reema Omer, legal adviser to the International Commission of Jurists, described the convictions as “cruel, vindictive and textbook examples of using law and the judicial process as weapons of persecution”.
“Imaan and Hadi are prisoners of conscience,” she posted on X. Lawyer Rida Hosain called the convictions “a stain on our judicial system”.
“Those entrusted with upholding the rule of law are weaponising it to persecute courageous human rights lawyers.
“This only further exposes a system that is functioning as an instrument of repression,” she said.
Journalists and academics criticise verdict
Several journalists also expressed concern over the 10-year sentences, with The News op-ed editor Zebunnisa Burki describing the development as “beyond ridiculous”. Journalist Zarrar Khuhro questioned the length of the punishment, referring to the allegation that the couple had been sentenced for “removing a barrier”.
“A decade in jail is what rapists usually get,” he said. Journalist Asma Shirazi described the verdict as “reprehensible and regrettable”.
Journalist Maryam Nawaz Khan also criticised the decision and raised concerns about the trial process. She said: “A sham/ secret trial delivers a sham sentence. Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, two human rights lawyers, sentenced to 10 years in prison over road barriers they maintain they never removed. First, their tweets; now, this. Criminalising dissent and persecuting lawyers is an assault on fundamental rights and constitutional freedoms. This sentence is outrageous and unlawful.”
Academic Nida Kirmani said the couple was “paying the price for standing up to a cruel and vindictive state run by petty men with fragile egos”. She also called the decision an “Absolutely absurd verdict”.
Concerns over transparency and civil rights
Journalist Saqib Bashir said the couple had been sentenced without a “transparent” trial. Former Jamaat-i-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmed also criticised the ruling and questioned its impact on freedom of expression and the justice system.
“This is a mockery of the judiciary and the justice system; it is a judicial murder of dissenting voices,” Mushtaq Ahmed said. “Imaan and Hadi are strong voices against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings and that is their only crime,” he added.
The comments reflect concerns raised by critics about the fairness of the proceedings and the treatment of human rights lawyers. However, the statements represent the views of those reacting to the verdict, rather than a separate legal finding about the case.
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