Imaan, Hadi Walk Out of ATC Jail Trial Hearing
Rights activist and lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, on Friday walked out of proceedings in the security breach case after objecting to the manner in which they were presented before the court at Adiala jail.
The couple and their lawyers left the makeshift courtroom after the defence filed an application seeking an end to the jail trial. The case concerns the alleged disruption of a security route of an international cricket team and incitement to public unrest. The couple, accused of removing barriers from the route, were indicted on October 7.
A day earlier, at the police’s recommendation citing difficulties in transporting the accused to court, the court had directed counsels and witnesses to appear at Adiala jail for the hearing.
Objections inside the courtroom
Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra conducted Friday’s hearing inside Adiala jail, where proceedings began at 10:55am, according to the defence counsel present.
The accused were presented inside a dock placed in a corner of the courtroom, prompting objections over the manner of their production. “This is not the proper way to present someone in court,” Imaan said, adding that the couple were not being allowed to meet their lawyers. Hadi complained that the two were being treated worse than terrorists.
Judge Sipra, noticing police personnel standing next to the accused, directed them to move away. “They have been brought into the courtroom; what is the need for the police to stand right next to them?” he remarked.
The defence had also filed an application seeking an end to the jail trial and an adjournment of Friday’s hearing. After hearing arguments, the court announced a 20-minute recess. On the defence applications, the judge said: “I have received your applications; I will issue an order regarding this.”
The walkout
When proceedings resumed, prosecution witness Ibrahim recorded his statement while defence lawyer Aimal Khan Mandokhail urged the court to decide the adjournment application first. “We have filed an application to adjourn the hearing; please rule on it,” he told the court, complaining that other members of the defence legal team were not being allowed into the courtroom.
“If the proceedings continue in this manner, we cannot remain a part of them,” Mandokhail said. He also asked the court not to defer the matter to the next day, pointing to the pending bail proceedings. Imaan, Hadi and their lawyers then walked out of the courtroom.
A case with a long trail
The couple’s legal troubles stretch back months, a timeline we have followed closely. They have been in jail since their arrest on January 23 in a case over a protest outside the Islamabad High Court. A day later, a sessions court sentenced them to 17 years on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act over controversial social media posts — convictions condemned by lawyers and UN experts.
On September 17, the Supreme Court suspended those sentences and ordered their release pending the Islamabad High Court’s final verdict on their appeals. The reprieve lasted hours: Islamabad police rearrested the couple in a fresh case registered at the capital’s Kohsar police station and produced them before an anti-terrorism court, which sent them to jail on judicial remand.
We reported their indictment in the security breach case on October 7, and earlier covered a bail hearing where the investigation officer failed to appear. UN experts had demanded the couple’s immediate release, and an earlier bail plea drew wide attention.
Frequently asked questions
Why did Imaan and Hadi walk out of the hearing?
They objected to being presented in a dock in the corner of the makeshift courtroom at Adiala jail, said they could not meet their lawyers, and their counsel’s application to end the jail trial and adjourn the hearing went undecided.
What is the security breach case about?
The couple are accused of disrupting the security route of an international cricket team and inciting public unrest, including removing barriers from the route. They were indicted on October 7.
What happened in their earlier cases?
Arrested January 23, sentenced to 17 years under Peca a day later, the sentences were suspended by the Supreme Court on September 17 — but they were rearrested within hours in the fresh Kohsar police station case.
