Pakistan’s crackdown on dissent took a dramatic turn on Saturday after prominent human rights lawyer Imran Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, were each sentenced to 17 years in prison over social media activity deemed unlawful by the state.
The convictions stem from a complaint lodged on August 12, 2025, with Islamabad’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which accused Mazari-Hazir of circulating online content allegedly echoing narratives of banned organisations. Chattha was charged for resharing some of her posts.
The couple was formally indicted on October 30 last year. On Friday, they were arrested in Islamabad while travelling to court and later placed on a 14-day judicial remand. The sentencing was delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka after the proceedings took an unusual turn.
Appearing briefly via video-link from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Mazari-Hazir and Chattha boycotted the hearing after learning that media access to the courtroom had been blocked. Moments later, they withdrew from the proceedings altogether.
According to the court’s written order, the prosecution had “successfully established its case” under multiple provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). As reported by Geo News, both were handed five years under Section 9, ten years under Section 10, and an additional two years under Section 26-A—bringing the total sentence to 17 years each.
The boycott followed sharp exchanges during the hearing. Mazari-Hazir questioned the absence of media before alleging mistreatment in custody. “We are being subjected to torture. We are not being given food or water,” she told the court, before announcing their refusal to participate further.
After confirming their decision, Judge Majoka instructed them to remain seated for the verdict. When they instead left their chairs, the judge directed court staff to preserve all recordings and subsequently pronounced the conviction.
The arrests came days after the court cancelled the couple’s interim bail on January 15 due to repeated non-appearances, issuing arrest warrants the following day.
Mazari-Hazir’s mother, Dr Shireen Mazari, a former human rights minister under ex-prime minister Imran Khan, confirmed the arrests on Friday, alleging that the two were taken away in separate vehicles to undisclosed locations. “Fascism at its peak,” she wrote on X. “Emasculated men in power must be so pleased with this achievement.”
In the days leading up to their arrest, the couple had reportedly spent two nights inside the Islamabad High Court Bar Association (IHCBA) office to avoid being detained. IHCBA president Wajid Ali Gilani, who was present at the time of the arrest, claimed authorities had assured that the lawyers would not be taken into custody while appearing before the court.
Gilani alleged that police forcibly stopped their vehicle, smashed its windows, and dragged Mazari-Hazir and Chattha out. He further claimed that IHCBA Secretary Manzoor Jajja was pushed to the ground and assaulted during the incident.
Warning of escalating resistance, Gilani said continued repression could revive a movement similar to the 2007 lawyers’ agitation. “The authorities must stop this oppression,” he said.
Following the arrests, Pakistan’s legal community reacted sharply. The IHCBA, Islamabad Bar Association, and Islamabad Bar Council issued strong condemnations. While the IHCBA and IBA announced a strike on Friday, the IBC called for a province-wide lawyers’ strike on Saturday, underscoring growing unease within Pakistan’s legal fraternity over the case.
