Human rights lawyer couple sentenced to 10 years' prison in Pakistan

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has sentenced human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha to 10 years in prison, over an alleged security breach during a cricket tour in 2024.

The couple were accused of removing road barriers and obstructing police officers in Islamabad - charges that both have denied.

Mazari and Chattha were previously sentenced to up to 17 years in prison for social media posts criticising the military.

Pakistan's Supreme Court had suspended those sentences in August, but police re-arrested the couple before they could be released. They have been imprisoned in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail for the past several months.

This latest case concerns an incident on 25 October 2024, when England's cricket team was touring Pakistan.

Prosecutors accused Mazari and Chattha of removing barriers from a road designated for the team's security convoy and obstructing police officers at Zero Point, a major cloverleaf road junction in Islamabad.

They were each sentenced to 10 years in prison under the Anti-Terrorism Act, as well as additional one-year and two-year terms for obstructing and using force against public servants. All sentences will run concurrently.

The court also fined each of them 200,000 Pakistani Rupees (£541:$723).

Kaynak: BBC News World RSS (Açık Basın / Haber Servisi)