In a significant escalation of Pakistan’s crackdown on dissent, prominent human rights attorney Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha have been sentenced to ten years imprisonment for alleged anti-state activities through social media posts. The 32-year-old lawyer, who has gained international recognition for defending marginalized communities, received her sentence from an Islamabad court on Saturday following charges of cyber terrorism and hate speech.
Mazari’s legal practice has focused on Pakistan’s most sensitive cases, including representing ethnic Baloch activists facing enforced disappearances, journalists targeted with defamation charges, and individuals accused of blasphemy—a particularly incendiary allegation in the conservative nation. Her work has drawn repeated comparisons to late human rights icon Asma Jahangir, whom Mazari describes as an inspiration and honor to be associated with.
The sentencing represents the latest development in an ongoing confrontation between Mazari and Pakistani authorities. Just one day prior to the verdict, the couple was arrested while en route to a court hearing to address these same allegations. Court documents obtained by AFP indicate the prosecution accused Mazari of disseminating highly offensive content critical of Pakistan’s military establishment.
Despite coming from privilege as the daughter of Pakistan’s former human rights minister Shireen Mazari and the country’s top pediatrician, the Oxford-educated lawyer has deliberately chosen to represent society’s most vulnerable. Her mother expressed both pride in her daughter’s work and concern for the family’s safety, noting that defending the dispossessed inevitably invites persecution in Pakistan’s current political climate.
International organizations have condemned the legal proceedings against Mazari. The UN special rapporteur for human rights defenders previously stated that the cases appear to reflect arbitrary use of the legal system for harassment and intimidation. Mazari was honored in 2025 with the Young Inspiration Award by the World Expression Forum for her extraordinary courage and impact in the struggle for rule of law.
Pakistan’s military spokesman directly targeted Mazari in a January 2026 news conference, characterizing her human rights advocacy as operating under democratic guise to promote terrorism. Despite these accusations and her imprisonment, Mazari remains defiant, vowing to continue her work and declaring that unlawful incarceration will not deter her commitment to justice.