A Pakistani antiterrorism court sentenced human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha to 10 years each over removing road barriers on the visiting England cricket team’s route in 2024. The couple denied the charges. Their lawyer objected to a verdict while higher-court petitions remained pending, and Amnesty International criticised the convictions.
An antiterrorism court in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, sentenced human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha to 10 years in prison each on October 29. Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the verdict after a trial inside Adiala prison in the city. The case concerns the removal of road barriers on the route of a visiting cricket team.[1], [2]
The incident took place in Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital, in October 2024 on the route designated for the touring England cricket team. The court held that the couple had endangered the team’s security. Both defendants pleaded not guilty when indicted on October 7. They say they are being targeted for their human rights work and deny the charges against them.[1]
Defence lawyer Aimal Mandokhail argued that the verdict should wait for petitions before the Supreme Court and high court, including the transfer request. Mazari’s mother Shireen Mazari, a former human rights minister, alleged that the couple had been denied their chosen lawyer and key documents. Amnesty International, the human rights organisation, criticised the convictions. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has repeatedly defended the judiciary’s independence.[1]
