Pakistan rights lawyers jailed for 10 years over cricket protest

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 30 Oct, 10:41 · Archive

Pakistani human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha were sentenced to 10 years in prison on terrorism charges.

An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has sentenced human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha to 10 years in prison. Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the verdict on charges relating to an incident on 25 October 2024, when the couple removed barriers from a road in Islamabad designated for England's cricket team's security convoy and obstructed police officers.

The couple were found guilty under the Anti-Terrorism Act and received additional sentences of one and two years for obstructing and using force against public servants, though all sentences run concurrently. They were each fined 200,000 Pakistani Rupees (£541). Both the court judgement and the couple's defence noted that the security breach was minor, with the judge acknowledging it was 'a very common nature ordinary type of incident apparently of removal of a barrier'.

Mazari and Chattha have repeatedly denied the charges and described themselves as 'prisoners of conscience' being made an example of by Pakistan's military-backed authorities. In statements to media, Chattha said: 'I am being punished for not only supporting my wife's work and activism, but for choosing this path of resisting injustice as our life journey together.' They claim they are being targeted for their human rights activism. Imaan Mazari's mother, Shireen Mazari, who served as Pakistan's human rights minister under former Prime Minister Imran Khan, called the trial 'a sham trial without any due process'. The couple were previously sentenced to up to 17 years in prison for social media posts criticising the military, but Pakistan's Supreme Court suspended those sentences in August.

How it is being reported

• Human rights lawyer couple sentenced to 10 years' prison in PakistanImaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha were charged over an incident in 2024, when England's cricket team was touring Pakistan.BBC World · 30 Oct, 07:53
• Pakistan rights activist Imaan Mazari and husband jailed for 10 yearsCouple say they are 'prisoners of conscience' being made an example of by Pakistan's military-backed authorities.Al Jazeera · 29 Oct, 17:28

In this story: Imaan Mazari · Hadi Ali Chattha · Pakistan · Islamabad · Rawalpindi · England

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log