Pakistani court sentences human rights lawyers over social media posts
A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced human rights lawyers Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha to 17 years in prison each over social media posts authorities said were hostile to the state and its security institutions. Judge Afzal Majoka announced the verdict, according to court documents.
The sentencing came a day after the couple were arrested in Islamabad. The two appeared briefly via video link but boycotted the hearing, and the court proceeded to conclude the trial and deliver the verdict, the court documents said.
Family and friends denounced the ruling, and the couple denied the charges. In the verdict, the judge cited a complaint alleging that Mazari had been using social media content to target state institutions, according to the report.
The case was based on a complaint filed in August 2025 with Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency. The complaint alleged that the couple used social media to malign the state and its security institutions, the documents described.
Prosecutors said the tweets amounted to offenses under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, which the report said was passed by parliament last year. The verdict said Mazari had posted multiple tweets in recent years that “portrayed the agenda” of the outlawed Baloch separatist group and Pakistani Taliban, and that her “tweets are replete with false and misleading narratives against state institutions,” constituting offences under the PECA.
The prosecution also accused Mazari of propagating what it described as a “narrative that aligned with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organizations and individuals.” The verdict further referred to the complaint’s allegation that Mazari “consistently disseminated highly offensive, misleading and anti-state contents on social media,” adding that Chattha had provided “active connivance,” the report said.
In the verdict, the judge also said the conduct of both accused reflected what he described as “a deliberate, wilful and persistent strategy aimed at derailing, delaying and obstructing the trial process,” and that they had undermined the dignity of the court and systematically sabotaged the administration of justice, according to the account.
International and domestic rights groups condemned the arrests and called for the couple’s immediate release. Amnesty International said in a statement that Mazari and Chattha’s detention marked “the latest escalation in a sustained campaign of judicial harassment and intimidation by the Pakistani authorities,” and said the arrests occurred while they were on their way to a court hearing, with eyewitnesses reporting that law enforcement officials used excessive force.
Zainab Mazari denounced the verdict on X as “totally illegal.” Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar praised the verdict on X, writing “As you sow, so shall you reap!” and saying the pair had been sentenced under Pakistan’s cyber laws.
What prosecutors and rights groups said
While authorities said the posts were hostile to the state and its security institutions and cited the PECA in the case, Amnesty International and other rights groups said the detention reflected judicial harassment. The report also said no reasons were given for the arrests at the time, raising concerns about the couple’s safety.
The broader context described in the report is that human rights activists in Pakistan have faced increasing pressure as the government has cracked down on criticism and dissent, including people who have been detained without formal charges or court appearances.