IHC to hear lawyers' sentence suspension pleas in social media case on June 1

The Islamabad High Court has scheduled June 1 to hear sentence suspension applications from human rights lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha. The case involves social media posts, and the lawyers have been in jail since their January arrest.

The Supreme Court had previously ordered the IHC to decide on the lawyers' pleas within two weeks. Notices were issued to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) regarding applications for an expedited hearing. The IHC had initially raised objections over the non-submission of a Supreme Court order, which was later rectified, leading to the June 1 hearing date.

Mazari-Hazir and Chattha were arrested for protesting outside the IHC and allegedly manhandling the IHC Bar Association president. Their arrest drew criticism from rights bodies, politicians, and journalists. A sessions court later sentenced them to 17 years in prison in the social media posts case.

The case originated from a complaint filed by the NCCIA Islamabad assistant director in August 2025. The complaint accused Mazari-Hazir of disseminating narratives aligning with hostile terrorist groups and implicated her husband for reposting some of her content. They received sentences under sections related to cyber terrorism, glorification of an offense, and false information under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.