ISLAMABAD: The District and Sessions Court in Islamabad has handed down a 17-year prison sentence each to advocate Imaan Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali in the controversial tweets case. The verdict was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka, who also issued a detailed 22-page written judgment alongside the short order.

The sentences were imposed under multiple sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. Under Section 9, both Mazari and Ali were given five years in prison along with a fine of PKR 5 million. Section 10 carried the heaviest punishment, with ten years in prison and a fine of PKR 30 million. Section 26A added another two years in prison and a fine of PKR 1 million. In total, each of the accused received 17 years in prison and fines amounting to PKR 36 million. However, the court acquitted them under Section 11 of the Act.

During the hearing, Mazari had declared that she and her husband would boycott the proceedings, and they did not attend the session when the verdict was announced. The case has drawn widespread attention, raising questions about the use of cybercrime laws and their implications for freedom of expression in Pakistan.