Pakistan Supreme Court orders Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha's release

Islamabad,UPDATED: Sep 17, 2026 22:28 IST

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the release of human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, after suspending the 17-year jail terms handed to them in a case linked to social media posts.

The couple had challenged their conviction after the Islamabad High Court refused to suspend the sentences while delaying a final ruling on their appeals. A two-judge Supreme Court bench then took up the matter and allowed their appeal against surety bonds of PKR 200,000, paving the way for their release.

The bench was headed by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and also included Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim. During the hearing, Justice Afghan observed, "Both are lawyers, and we are keeping their honour," while also asking senior counsel Faisal Siddiqui, who appeared for the couple, to tell the appellants to observe the court's decorum.

Earlier, the apex court had repeatedly adjourned hearings in the case, citing the Islamabad High Court's decision to fix their application for suspension of sentence along with the main appeal. It later went ahead with the hearing and decided the case while exonerating the couple.

Mazari-Hazir and Chattha have been in jail since their arrest on January 23 in a separate case registered over a protest outside the Islamabad High Court and allegations that they manhandled the president of the Islamabad High Court Bar Association. A day after their arrest, a sessions court convicted them in the social media posts case.

That case stemmed from a complaint filed on August 12, 2025, which accused Mazari-Hazir of disseminating and "propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations". Her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts. The FIR alleged that the two had held the security forces responsible for cases of missing persons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.

The arrests and conviction drew criticism from rights groups, politicians and journalists, who said the couple were entitled to a fair trial. The case also drew international attention. In February, UN special rapporteurs Margaret Satterthwaite, Ben Saul, Mary Lawlor, Irene Khan and Gina Romero said in a statement that the two had been convicted on multiple criminal charges and given lengthy prison terms "for simply exercising rights guaranteed by international human rights law".

With the Supreme Court's order, the couple are set to be released after months in jail in a case that triggered criticism from rights bodies in Pakistan and abroad.

With PTI Inputs

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