Lawyer and rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, lawyer Hadi Ali Chattha. PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD:
Human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, have filed an appeal in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) challenging their conviction in a case linked to controversial social media posts.
In the petition, the couple asked the High Court to declare the trial court’s January 24 verdict null and void, stay the conviction and grant them bail.
The appeal argues that the trial court failed to meet the statutory requirements and entered its judgment even though a transfer motion was pending before the IHC. It says a verdict cannot legally be rendered while such a motion is under consideration.
Read: Islamabad court sentences Imaan, Hadi to 17 years in prison in social media post case
The motion further alleges that the trial court restricted the right to defense and failed to provide transparency during the proceedings. It says that when a state attorney complained that the questions had been shared in advance, the court ordered no investigation into the matter.
The appeal also claims that violence was used during the arrest while the couple was being brought before the magistrate court. He alleges the court failed to consider the assault allegations when they appeared via video link and questions how cross-examination could be properly conducted from prison without access to the files.
On January 24, a district and sessions court in Islamabad convicted Mazari and Chattha in the case and sentenced them to 17 years in prison.
Learn more: Lawyers observe strike following conviction of Imaan and her partner
The case centers on alleged posts and reposts on X, formerly Twitter, that authorities described as “anti-state.” The National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) registered the case in August last year under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, alleging that the content was intended to incite divisions and portray a negative image of state institutions.
This conviction attracted international attention. Amnesty International issued an urgent call for action to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on February 2, calling for the couple’s immediate and unconditional release.
On February 4, United Nations experts also expressed concern about this verdict. Five UN special rapporteurs said the couple had been sentenced to long prison terms for “the simple exercise of rights guaranteed by international human rights law”.
