Pak jails lawyer couple over security breach during England's cricket tour in 2024

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha to 10 years each. Their family alleged an unfair trial and plans to challenge the verdict before the Supreme Court.The couple denied the allegations, describing themselves as "prisoners of conscience" and claiming they were being targeted for their human rights work. (Photo: Reuters)Two prominent Pakistani human rights lawyers have been sentenced to 10 years in prison each over allegations that they breached security arrangements during England's cricket team tour in 2024.An anti-terrorism court announced the verdict against Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, at Adiala Jail on Thursday, where the couple have been held since earlier this year, their family told news agency Reuters.The court also handed them additional sentences of one and two years on separate charges of obstructing and assaulting government officials. All sentences will run concurrently.WHAT IS THE SECURITY BREACH CASE?The case relates to an incident on October 25, 2024, when England's cricket team was travelling to Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium for the final Test against Pakistan. Prosecutors alleged that Mazari and Chattha disrupted a security route near Islamabad's Zero Point interchange by confronting traffic officers, removing barricades and encouraging bystanders to intervene.The prosecution had argued that their actions posed a serious security risk, particularly given Pakistan's history of attacks on visiting cricket teams, including the 2009 attack on Sri Lanka's players in Lahore. The couple denied the allegations, describing themselves as "prisoners of conscience" and claiming they were being targeted for their human rights work.FAMILY ALLEGES DENIAL OF FAIR TRIALMazari's mother, Shireen Mazari, a former human rights minister in imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan's government, criticised the proceedings. She told Reuters that the couple "were not permitted to defend themselves through their own lawyer, and were not provided with key legal documents".The family has said it will challenge the verdict before the Supreme Court.Pakistan's Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar has repeatedly maintained that the country's judiciary is independent.COUPLE HAD BEEN HELD IN SEPARATE CASEMazari and Chattha were also arrested on January 23 in a separate case involving social media posts that prosecutors described as anti-state.A sessions court sentenced them to 17 years in prison each the following day under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. The Supreme Court suspended those sentences on September 17, but police re-arrested the couple the same day in connection with the security breach case.- EndsWith inputs from agencies