Human rights lawyers get 10 years for removing road barriers

A ten-year prison sentence was handed down on Thursday to Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, a couple of human rights lawyers in Pakistan. The antiterrorism court in Rawalpindi found the pair guilty of terrorism-related charges stemming from a 2024 incident involving the England cricket team.

Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra read the verdict after a trial held inside Adiala prison. The judgment stated that the defendants put the security of the visiting cricket team at risk. Sipra wrote that the actions clearly showed the accused intended to create a sense of terror. However, the same ruling conceded that the security breach was a common incident involving the removal of a barrier.

The legal dispute traces back to October 2024 in Islamabad. At that time, the couple removed road barriers along a route designated for the touring English cricket team. Prosecutors indicted them on October 7 for obstructing police and inciting public interest. Both defendants pleaded not guilty.

In statements reviewed by Reuters, the couple denied the charges and described themselves as prisoners of conscience. They argued they were being targeted for their human rights work. Their defense document claimed they were being made an example to cement a chilling effect against those who stand against tyranny and oppression.

Shireen Mazari, the mother of Imaan Mazari and former human rights minister, called the proceedings a sham trial without due process. She told Reuters that the couple was not permitted to defend themselves through their own lawyer and lacked key legal documents. The defense plans to file a petition against the verdict in the Supreme Court.

Amnesty International labeled the convictions an indictment of Pakistan’s justice system. Yasmine Ahmend, speaking for the organization, said the judiciary failed its test of upholding the principles of justice. She added that the anti-terrorism charges were used to punish the couple for their advocacy. Babu Ram Pant, the group’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, stated that the re-arrest dispels any pretence that the charges are not politically motivated.

The couple has been in custody since January 23 in a separate case over social media posts. A lower court sentenced them to 17 years each the next day under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. Although the Supreme Court suspended those sentences, police re-arrested the pair the same day for the security breach case. Azam Nazeer Tarar, Pakistan’s law minister, has repeatedly stated that the country’s judiciary is independent.