Pakistan Sentences Human Rights Lawyers to 17 Years in Prison

An Islamabad sessions court sentenced human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to concurrent prison terms totaling 17 years on January 24, 2026. Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka convicted the couple under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) for social media posts deemed hostile to the state. The charges included cyber-terrorism, the glorification of an offense, and the dissemination of false information. Each was fined 36 million rupees.

The convictions followed the couple's arrest on January 23, while they were traveling to a court hearing. Witnesses and rights groups described the arrests as violent, involving masked security officials. The couple boycotted the proceedings, appearing only briefly via video link, and denied all charges, asserting the case was politically motivated due to their work defending victims of enforced disappearances.

The ruling triggered widespread protests and strikes by bar associations in Islamabad and Karachi. In Karachi, police blockaded the Karachi Press Club to prevent activists, including Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Junior, from protesting. The European Union, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and five UN special rapporteurs condemned the sentencing as a violation of freedom of expression and an arbitrary use of the legal system to harass dissenters.

The Government of Pakistan dismissed international criticism, with the Foreign Office describing the trial as a "domestic affair." Information Minister Attaullah Tarar praised the verdict, while military spokesperson Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry had previously accused the lawyers of using human rights as a guise to promote terrorism.