Islamabad: A local court in the federal capital has sentenced prominent human rights lawyer Iman Mazari, known for pursuing cases related to enforced disappearances, and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha to a total of 17 years of rigorous imprisonment each under various charges in a case involving alleged anti-state content on social media.
According to the court’s verdict, both accused were sentenced to five years each under Section 9 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), ten years each under Section 10 and two years each under Section 26-A. In addition, the court imposed a combined fine of 9 million rupees on Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha.
However, the court ordered that all sentences would run concurrently, meaning both will effectively serve ten years in prison.
The verdict stated that the accused allegedly uploaded anti-state content on social media and promoted the narratives of banned organizations such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), and the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM). According to the decision, the accused also publicized the viewpoints of figures like Mahrang Baloch, Ali Wazir, and Manzoor Pashteen.
The court said the prosecution successfully proved the charges against the accused, following which the sentences were announced.
It is worth noting that a day earlier, Islamabad Police had taken Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha into custody in a separate case from the federal capital, after which an anti-terrorism court sent both to 14 days of judicial remand.
