ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Saturday sentenced activist Iman Mazari and lawyer Hadi Ali Chatha to 10 years in prison each in a case linked to controversial social media posts.
The court announced the verdict after concluding trial proceedings in the case involving disputed tweets.
Mazari and Chatha boycotted the court proceedings on the day of the verdict, court officials said.
The Islamabad High Court had earlier directed both defendants to cross-examine prosecution witnesses by Friday. However, the accused did not comply with the order.
The court produced Mazari and Chatha via video link due to their judicial remand in a separate case.
Prosecutors Barrister Fahad, Usman Rana, and Barrister Mansoor Azam represented the state. State counsel Taimoor Janjua appeared on behalf of the defendants.
The prosecution presented five witnesses during the trial. It also submitted a charge sheet exceeding 30 pages.
Prosecutors accused Mazari and Chatha of promoting the agenda of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) and other banned organizations.
The charges also included disseminating content against state institutions.
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The prosecution submitted several social media posts by both defendants as evidence. It also presented a speech by Mazari, which it described as anti-state, during the proceedings.
The court found the accused guilty and handed down prison sentences accordingly.
