Pakistani human rights lawyers jailed for 17 years over social media posts

ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced two human rights lawyers to 17 years in prison each over social media posts the authorities claimed were hostile to the state and its security institutions.

Judge Afzal Majoka announced the verdict a day after Zainab Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha were arrested in Islamabad, according to court documents.

The couple appeared briefly via video link but boycotted the hearing, prompting the court to conclude the trial and deliver the verdict. Family and friends denounced the ruling. The couple denied all the changes.

The court verdict said Mazari had posted multiple tweets in recent years that ''portrayed the agenda'' of the outlawed Baloch separatist group and Pakistani Taliban.

The case stems from a complaint filed in August 2025 with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, alleging the couple used social media to malign the state and its security institutions. They were formally indicted last October and had repeatedly refused to appear in court.

In his verdict, the judge referred to the complaint which alleged that Mazari ''consistently disseminated highly offensive, misleading and anti-state contents on social media'', with the ''active connivance'' of her husband.

It said Mazari's ''tweets are replete with false and misleading narratives against state institutions, constituting offences under the PECA" — or Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act — which was passed by parliament last year to stop the spread of disinformation and hate speech.

''The overall conduct of both accused unmistakably reflects a deliberate, wilful and persistent strategy aimed at derailing, delaying and obstructing the trial process. In short, the accused have undermined the dignity of the court, wilfully obstructed due process, and systematically sabotaged the administration of justice,'' the judge said in the verdict.

International and domestic rights groups condemned the arrest of Mazari and Chattha and called for their immediate release.

Amnesty International said in a statement Friday that the couple's detention marked ''the latest escalation in a sustained campaign of judicial harassment and intimidation by the Pakistani authorities.''

It said Mazari and Chattha were arrested while on their way to a court hearing, with eyewitnesses reporting that law enforcement officials used excessive force. No reasons were given for the arrests at the time, raising serious concerns about the couple's safety.

Human rights activists in Pakistan have increasingly come under pressure from the government, which has been cracking down on criticism and dissent. Mazari and Chattha often represented journalists, political figures and human rights activists who had been detained by the security forces without formal charges or court appearances.