An anti-terrorism court last week sentenced prominent human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to 10 years in prison each in a case of alleged disruption of security arrangements for England’s cricket team while in Pakistan.
The verdict, announced on Thursday (Oct. 29) by Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, marks the latest development in a series of criminal proceedings against the couple, whose prosecution has drawn criticism from international human rights organizations and raised concerns about the treatment of lawyers and rights activists in Pakistan.
The court convicted the couple under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997, sentencing each to 10 years in prison and a fine of 100,000 Pakistani rupees ($360). They also received one-year sentences and fines of 50,000 Pakistani rupees each under Section 186 of the Pakistan Penal Code for obstructing public servants, and two-year sentences under Section 353 for using criminal force against public servants.
All sentences will run concurrently, meaning the couple will serve a maximum of 10 years under the latest conviction.
The court, however, acquitted them of charges relating to criminal intimidation, conspiracy and rioting under various provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The case concerns an incident on Oct. 25, 2024, when England’s cricket team was visiting Pakistan. Prosecutors alleged that Mazari-Hazir and Chattha removed road barriers installed along a route designated for the visiting team’s security convoy and obstructed police officers at Zero Point, a major road junction in the federal capital, Islamabad.
The prosecution argued that their actions compromised security arrangements for the international team and sought to create public disorder.
In its judgment, the court maintained that the couple had acted with a common intention to undermine security arrangements by pressuring security personnel. It cited the 2009 terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, arguing that any assault on police officers responsible for protecting an international sporting delegation could create an atmosphere of terror.
While acknowledging that freedom of movement is a constitutional right, the judge said it remained subject to the laws of the country and could not justify attacks on law enforcement personnel.
The couple denied the allegations throughout the proceedings, maintaining that the prosecution was part of a broader campaign to punish them for their human rights advocacy and legal assistance to marginalized communities, including Christians.
In separate but similar statements recorded under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, both described themselves as prisoners of conscience and accused state institutions of violating their constitutional rights to a fair trial, due process and human dignity.
“The evidence produced during this trial is not against us, but in fact a charge sheet against (prosecution witnesses)/police officials and the state,” they said in their statements.
Mazari-Hazir also challenged the decision to conduct the proceedings inside the jail, saying the couple had been made to appear before the court behind a cage-like structure that prevented effective communication with their lawyers and the judge. She said their constitutional rights had been infringed from the beginning of the proceedings.
“We are being made an example to further cement the chilling effect against those who stand (or want to stand) against tyranny, oppression and injustice,” she stated.
In his statement, Chattha said he was being punished for supporting his wife’s activism and choosing to make resistance against injustice their shared life journey.
The couple also highlighted the personal cost of their prolonged incarceration, saying they had spent the third year of their marriage in prison and endured painful separation despite having undertaken their human rights work without seeking personal gain.
Concerns over Fair Trial
The proceedings have attracted criticism from international rights organizations, particularly over the decision to hold the trial inside Adiala Jail and the circumstances under which the couple appeared before the court.
Amnesty International condemned the convictions, saying the proceedings failed to meet international standards of an open and fair trial.
“These convictions are an indictment of Pakistan’s justice system,” said Yasmine Ahmed, Amnesty International's senior director for regional human rights impact.
“Imaan and Hadi are being targeted solely because of their refusal to stop their fearless human rights work and for exercising their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”
Amnesty also expressed concern over the arrangement under which the couple were kept behind a cage-like structure during court hearings, raising questions about their ability to communicate effectively with their legal representatives and participate meaningfully in their defense.
The court had appointed state counsel Atif Mehmood to represent the couple. The prosecution presented seven witnesses during the trial, with the defense conducting cross-examinations.
Both lawyers recorded their statements on Oct. 27, denying the charges and reiterating that their prosecution was politically motivated.
The latest conviction came despite ongoing legal challenges to the proceedings. The couple had approached the Supreme Court to challenge an Islamabad High Court order issued on Oct. 19 that refused to suspend the trial.
Earlier, the Islamabad High Court had issued notices on their appeals against an Oct. 10 anti-terrorism court order dismissing their petitions challenging the framing of charges and the inclusion of terrorism-related provisions.
Mazari-Hazir and Chattha have remained behind bars since Jan. 23, when they were arrested in a separate case involving an alleged altercation outside the Islamabad High Court. They were accused of protesting outside the court and manhandling the president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association.
A day after their arrest, a sessions court sentenced them to up to 17 years in prison under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) over social media posts critical of Pakistan's powerful military. The convictions triggered condemnation from lawyers, human rights organizations and United Nations experts, who raised concerns about the criminalization of freedom of expression.
On Sept. 17, Pakistan’s Supreme Court suspended the sentences and granted the couple bail pending the Islamabad High Court’s final decision on their appeals. Their release, however, was short-lived.
Islamabad police arrested them again hours later in connection with the security breach case, which had been registered at Kohsar police station on March 22, 2025, on the complaint of City Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Chandio. The couple had previously faced another prosecution related to a protest in March 2025, during which they were accused of chanting anti-government slogans and blocking roads.
Mazari-Hazir, 32, and Chattha are prominent human rights lawyers known for representing activists, journalists and marginalized communities, including individuals subjected to enforced disappearances, custodial abuse and alleged extrajudicial killings. They have also taken up several high-profile blasphemy cases involving members of religious minorities, challenging accusations that they said were driven by personal enmity, property disputes or financial interests.
Chattha, in particular, has represented both Muslim and Christian defendants accused under Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws.
Their legal work has brought them into confrontation with powerful state institutions and influential groups, while their repeated prosecution has become a source of concern for rights advocates monitoring the shrinking space for dissent and independent human rights work in Pakistan.
Mazari-Hazir is the daughter of Shireen Mazari, a former federal human rights minister who served in the government of former prime minister Imran Khan.
