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Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the verdict at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where the couple had been held and tried, convicting Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband on terrorism-related charges for removing road barriers along a designated route for the touring England cricket team. The judgement described the barrier removal as an ordinary incident but concluded that it showed intent to create terror because it involved an international sports team, according to a copy obtained by AFP. The court imposed concurrent sentences that include additional terms for obstructing public servants and fined each defendant 100,000 Pakistani rupees.
The incident occurred in October 2024 at Zero Point in Islamabad when the couple were accused of obstructing police officers and inciting unrest while the cricket team visited Pakistan. Mazari told authorities she had been trying to reach court to represent a client when stopped at the roadblock, a claim repeated in coverage by the Associated Press. Both pleaded not guilty after their indictment on October 7 and have remained in custody throughout the proceedings.
Mazari, the daughter of former human rights minister Shireen Mazari, and Chattha have built reputations representing journalists, political activists and families of people allegedly subjected to enforced disappearances by security forces. The couple received 17-year sentences in January 2026 over social media posts critical of the military but saw those convictions suspended by the Supreme Court in September before police re-arrested them. Their latest case follows a pattern of legal actions that the pair attribute to their defence of marginalised communities and ethnic minorities.
In statements seen by Reuters the couple called themselves prisoners of conscience and said they were being targeted for their human rights work. “We are prisoners of conscience,” they stated while denying all charges and accusing authorities of using the cases to silence critics. The couple have maintained that their advocacy for families seeking information about missing relatives lies at the root of the prosecutions.
Amnesty International has described the proceedings as a blatant abuse of the justice system that threatens the role of lawyers defending vulnerable groups in Pakistan. DW reported that rights organisations expressed alarm at the convictions and called for the immediate release of the pair. The development has focused fresh international attention on the treatment of human rights defenders in the country.
Al Jazeera noted that the couple allege persecution by military-backed authorities for their longstanding criticism of enforced disappearances and support for Baloch and Pashtun activists. The sentences arrive amid broader scrutiny of Pakistan’s record on freedoms of expression and assembly, according to multiple regional reports. Supporters of Mazari and Chattha have vowed to pursue appeals while highlighting the couple’s record in some of the nation’s most sensitive legal cases.
