Pakistan court sentences Mazari and Chattha to 10 years

An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi sentenced human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to 10 years in prison each in a case over alleged interference with security arrangements during an international cricket team’s visit to Pakistan in October 2024. Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the verdict at Adiala Jail. The court imposed the prison terms under multiple legal provisions and ordered them to run concurrently, making each defendant’s effective sentence 10 years. The court also fined them, with one account of the written order specifying a total fine of 200,000 rupees each. Prosecutors alleged that Mazari and Chattha removed barriers from a designated security route, obstructed officials and disrupted arrangements for the team’s visit. They also faced allegations of inciting public unrest. The couple denied wrongdoing, and the reports do not independently establish the alleged conduct. The prosecution presented seven witnesses during the trial. A state-appointed lawyer cross-examined them on the defendants’ behalf. Before the ruling, defence lawyer Aimal Mandokhail asked the court to postpone its decision, citing petitions pending before the...