Asia·Pakistan
Pakistan jails human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha for 10 years over a 2024 cricket-convoy road incident
ISLAMABAD —
Depth
Dig five layers into this story — from what happened to the full picture.
L1What happened
Each got 10 years under the Anti-Terrorism Act plus one- and two-year terms for obstructing and using force against public servants, running concurrently, and a 200,000-rupee fine (£541/$723) each. Prosecutors said they removed barriers on a road set aside for the England team's security convoy at Zero Point, Islamabad, on Oct 25, 2024.
L2Who’s affected
The couple, who have represented activists, journalists and families of the forcibly disappeared, and the communities they defended. Chattha said he is "being punished for not only supporting my wife's work and activism, but for choosing this path of resisting injustice as our life journey together" (to Dawn News).
L3Why it’s quiet
Analysis · OVERLOOKED Pakistan court cases rarely make U.S. front pages, and this verdict landed amid U.S. midterm and Iran-war coverage.
L4Deeper impact
Amnesty's Yasmine Ahmed: "These convictions are an indictment of Pakistan's justice system." Amnesty says they were denied an open and fair trial; the trial was moved inside the prison, where they sat behind a cage-like structure. The couple say they are being "made an example to further cement the chilling effect."
L5Full context
In custody since Jan 23 after a case over an altercation outside the Islamabad High Court; a day later sentenced to up to 17 years under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act over posts critical of the military. The Supreme Court suspended those sentences and granted bail on Sep 17, but they were re-arrested the same day over a March 2025 protest. Mazari's mother Shireen Mazari was human rights minister under Imran Khan.
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Original reporting
Human rightsRule of lawPolitics
This is an OVERLOOKED summary of the reporting above. Facts and figures come from the linked sources. Everything here is a fact unless it is labelled otherwise. Support this work.
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