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Anti-Terrorism Court Sentences Imaan Mazari to 10 Years

By Drooid · Oct 30, 2026 · How we work

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Summary

Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced lawyer Imaan Mazari and husband Hadi Ali Chattha to ten years rigorous imprisonment each.
The court fined each Rs100,000 under Section 7(h) of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
They received a two-year term and Rs50,000 fine under Section 353 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Defence counsel Aimal Khan Mandokhail’s request to defer the verdict pending higher-court petitions was rejected.
The sentencing was announced at Adiala Jail, where the couple remain incarcerated.

Summary

Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha were awarded the 2026 Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize.
Amnesty International senior director Yasmine Ahmed called their convictions an indictment of Pakistan’s justice system.
National Commission for Human Rights said the ten-year sentences breach proportionality standards.
Human Rights Council of Pakistan chair Jamshid Hussain demanded an immediate appeal hearing and bail.
Former human-rights minister Shireen Mazari labeled the trial a sham lacking due process.

History

On 9 March 2007 President Pervez Musharraf suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, triggering the Lawyers’ Movement that saw over 800 lawyers arrested and massive protests. The Supreme Court later reinstated Chaudhry, cementing a legacy of judicial-independence battles. Today, the sentencing of lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband under the Anti-Terrorism Act revives those 2007 tensions, drawing similar domestic and international criticism.

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On 9 March 2007 President Pervez Musharraf suspended Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, triggering the Lawyers’ Movement that saw over 800 lawyers arrested and massive protests. The Supreme Court later reinstated Chaudhry, cementing a legacy of judicial-independence battles. Today, the sentencing of lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband under the Anti-Terrorism Act revives those 2007 tensions, drawing similar domestic and international criticism.

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