Lawyer Imaan Mazari. Photo: X
The controversial tweet trial of Advocate Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, in the District and Sessions Court, Islamabad, has been adjourned till December 15 as their petition in the Islamabad High Court seeking transfer of the case is still pending.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka heard the case and the lawyer couple was also present. “The petition is still pending before the Islamabad High Court,” the defense lawyer said.
The petition alleging lack of transparency by Justice Majoka was filed during the final hearing of the controversial tweets case at the District and Sessions Court on Friday. Mazari reportedly told the judge with a smile: “Give me the sentence of seven years, I’m ready.” Judge Majoka did not respond.
Another petition challenging the Trial Court’s order was also filed in the IHC on December 1 with lawyer Ali Azad, representing Mazari and Chattha, stating that “the court is not conducting a transparent trial”.
Defense lawyer Ali Azad has expressed concern that the trial is not proceeding transparently. Ali Azad stressed: “A fair trial is my constitutional right. Testimony must be recorded in my presence. The court is not conducting a transparent trial. This is one of many cases pending before this court. These are bar members and professional lawyers”.
Read: Mazari, man seeks case transfer due to bias
Mazari and her husband, Chattha, previously objected after their state-appointed lawyer withdrew from the controversial case.
Ahead of Tuesday’s hearing, Mazari also claimed that the court had ‘compulsorily appointed a public prosecutor for her and Chattha.
The trial has received a lot of attention from the legal fraternity; in the earlier hearing on Friday, District Bar President Naeem Gujar, Islamabad Bar Member Raja Aleem Abbasi and former Bar President Riyasat Ali Azad attended the hearing.
Lawyers in court reportedly raised slogans, prompting Justice Majoka to leave the courtroom. The Aurat March and the Karachi Bar Association have announced protests tomorrow morning outside the District Court in Karachi to demand a fair trial for Imaan Mazari and Chattha.
The groups believe that the trial has been compromised and hope that the Islamabad High Court will accept their petition during the hearing in the IHC tomorrow. “During the two weeks spanning this bogus case, he has denied Imaan and Hadi the right to a fair trial and due process in several ways,” the Aurat March said in a post on social media.
Read more: Trial against Imaan Mazari ‘not transparent’, lawyer tells IHC
The Islamabad Bar Association also called for a strike on Friday against “the unfair trial of human rights defenders Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali”.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency has registered a case against Mazari and Chattha; both are accused of posting ‘anti-government’ sentiments on X. The pair were formally charged on October 30, a day after Chattha was arrested outside the courtroom for failure to appear. Mazari maintained that video footage showed him “inside and outside the courtroom”.
After his release, Chattha told reporters that he had arrived five minutes early for the case on October 29, yet the judge had issued an arrest warrant “in front of him”.
