All articles tagged with #peca
The Supreme Court suspended the 17-year prison terms handed to lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha in a PECA case tied to tweets alleged to incite linguistic divisions; bail was granted on a Rs 200,000 surety while the Islamabad High Court reviews the sentence, with the court urging both to maintain decorum.
A Pakistani court sentenced two human rights lawyers, Zainab Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, to 17 years in prison each for social media posts the authorities say were hostile to the state and its security institutions, under the PECA. The couple, who represented journalists and activists, were arrested in Islamabad after boycotting the hearing; prosecutors allege their tweets aligned with hostile groups and undermined the court. Rights groups condemned the ruling as judicial harassment, while the government defended the decision.
An Islamabad sessions court sentenced lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha to a total of 17 years in prison on multiple sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) for social-media posts praising proscribed groups (BLA, TTP) and alleging state wrongdoing. The punishments—five years under Sec. 9 with Rs5m fines each, ten years under Sec. 10 with Rs30m fines each, and two years under Sec. 26-A with Rs1m fines each—are to run concurrently, with further jail time if fines are not paid. The couple, in custody at Adiala jail, faced criticism from rights groups over perceived suppression of dissent, while officials defended the trial.
Pakistan’s crackdown on dissent deepens as lawyer Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Chattha are arrested under PECA, anti-terrorism, and assembly laws for online posts; critics say amendments to PECA shield state institutions and chill speech, reviving dormant FIRs to undermine court protections and threaten due process, signaling a broader assault on the rule of law and democratic rights.