- Web Desk
- Today
Controversial tweets case: Court sentences Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha to 17 years each
-
- Web
- 2 Hours ago
ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court on Saturday sentenced human rights lawyer Iman Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chatha to 17 years of rigorous imprisonment each in a case related to controversial social media posts.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka announced a brief verdict in the courtroom, holding the accused guilty of promoting the agenda of banned organisations and disseminating material against state institutions.
During the hearing, both Iman Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha boycotted the proceedings. As they are currently under judicial remand in another case, the couple was produced before the court through a video link.
According to the written order issued by Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, the prosecution successfully proved its case against the accused, Imaan and Hadi, under Sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyberterrorism) and 26-A (false and fake information) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).
Under Section 9 of Peca, both accused were sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment each along with a fine of Rs5 million. In case of failure to pay the fine, they will have to undergo an additional one year in jail.
The court also awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment to each of the accused under Section 10 of Peca, along with a fine of Rs30 million each. Failure to pay this fine will result in an additional two years of imprisonment.
Separately, the court sentenced the couple to two years of rigorous imprisonment each under Section 26-A of Peca and imposed a fine of Rs1 million each. Non-payment of the fine will lead to a further six months in jail.
The court ordered that all sentences will run concurrently.
The written order noted that the convicts were present in custody in another case and attended the proceedings through a video link. It directed that they be kept in jail to serve their sentences. The court also extended the benefit of Section 382-B of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), allowing the period of detention already undergone to be counted towards the sentence.
In the judgment, Judge Majoka referred to an August 2025 complaint filed by Sub-Inspector Sharooz Riaz, stating that Imaan had “consistently disseminated highly offensive, misleading and anti-state content on social media” with the active involvement of Hadi.
The court observed that the accused promoted narratives aligned with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations, incited ethnic hatred, undermined public trust in state institutions and portrayed the armed forces as being involved in terrorism and enforced disappearances.
The order further stated that tweets posted between 2021 and 2025 reflected the agenda of banned organisations including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Judge Majoka noted that both accused are advocates by profession and were fully aware that Pakistan is not designated as a terrorist state, yet they deliberately referred to the country as such in their social media posts.
The judgment said the accused portrayed state institutions, particularly the armed forces, as colluding with proscribed individuals and organisations. The court concluded that both were fully involved in offences punishable under Sections 9, 10 and 26-A of Peca, 2016.
The order also noted that during the inquiry it emerged that the accused were involved in propagating and disseminating narratives aligned with proscribed organisations. The content shared by them, including tweets and retweets, expressed support for banned groups such as the BLA and TTP, as well as individuals including Mahrang Baloch, Ali Wazir and Manzoor Pashteen.
The judgment cited testimony from five prosecution witnesses, including Imran Haider, an assistant director at the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) reporting centre, and Sub-Inspector Sharooz Riaz.
The court noted that several posts on social media platform X made by Imaan in support of activist Mahrang Baloch or the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) were reposted by Hadi.
Rejecting the defence argument, the judge said that merely expressing views about a proscribed individual could not be treated as harmless opinion under the law. The court observed that the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) defines glorification as “any form of praise or celebration” of banned organisations, individuals or groups.
The order said the posts undermined public trust in state institutions, particularly law enforcement agencies and the armed forces, and accused the state of involvement in terrorism and enforced disappearances.
The court further held that Imaan Zainab Mazari’s claims that the state operated torture cells and used violence and crackdowns as a standard response to peaceful Baloch activism amounted to an offence under Section 10 of Peca.
On the charge of spreading false information, the judgment said the accused failed to produce any evidence to support allegations of enforced disappearances, despite repeatedly claiming on social media that the state was responsible.
Earlier on Saturday, the couple briefly appeared before the court via video link. Proceedings were disrupted after they boycotted the hearing, following which the court reserved its verdict.
Earlier, the Islamabad High Court had directed the accused to complete the cross-examination of prosecution witnesses by Saturday. The prosecution presented a total of five witnesses and submitted a challan comprising more than 30 pages.
The prosecution also submitted several tweets attributed to the accused as evidence, along with a speech by Iman Mazari described as anti-state. Barrister Fahad, Advocate Usman Rana, and Barrister Mansoor Azam appeared on behalf of the prosecution, while State Counsel Taimur Janjua represented the defence.
After hearing arguments and reviewing the evidence on record, the court awarded both accused ten years of rigorous imprisonment each.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) strongly condemned the arrests, describing the case as a “tool to harass, intimidate and ultimately muzzle dissent”.
Reacting to the sentencing, Imaan’s mother Shireen Mazari, a former federal minister for human rights, termed the verdict “totally illegal”. She maintained that a transfer application in the case is still pending before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), arguing that the trial court could not legally announce the judgment until the application was decided.
Meanwhile, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar welcomed the court’s decision. In a post on social media platform X, he said: “As you sow, so shall you reap.”
He further remarked that this was the “first official and final result of Peca”, adding, “One should fear God.”
