Imaan Mazari, Hadi Ali sentenced to 17 years over controversial social media posts

Islamabad: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Saturday convicted human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, in a case linked to controversial social media posts, sentencing both to 17 years in prison.

The case relates to alleged “anti-state” content shared and reposted on X (formerly Twitter).

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had filed the case in August 2025 under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, claiming the posts were intended to create divisions and malign state institutions.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka announced the verdict. Mazari and Chattha appeared via video link; Mazari alleged mistreatment in custody and announced a boycott of the proceedings.

No defence lawyers were present, while special prosecutors Barrister Fahad and Rana Usman attended the hearing.

In its written order, the court noted that the couple had described Pakistan as a “terrorist state,” termed detentions under anti-terror laws as illegal, praised proscribed organisations and individuals, and accused the judiciary of bias.

The court stated that while criticism of the state is permitted in a democracy, the accused had crossed the limits of permissible dissent, committing offences under Sections 9, 10 and 26-A of PECA.

The court acquitted them of charges under Section 11, noting that no witnesses testified that the posts promoted sectarian, racial, or interfaith hatred.

Under the verdict, both were sentenced to five years’ rigorous imprisonment under Section 9 with a fine of Rs5 million each, 10 years under Section 10 with a fine of Rs30 million each, and five years under Section 26-A with a fine of Rs1 million each.

Additional jail terms were to be imposed in case of default. The court did not clarify whether the sentences would run concurrently.