Key facts
- Pakistan's Supreme Court suspended the 17-year prison sentences of lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband.
- The court ordered the couple freed on bail.
- Mazari and her husband were convicted in January on charges of sending anti-state social media posts.
- Both deny the charges and claim persecution for speaking out against the disappearance of nationalist activists.
- Mazari has defended ethnic minorities and journalists in Pakistan.
- The conviction was under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act for social media posts critical of military operations.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the 17-year prison sentences of prominent rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, ordering their release on bail. The couple was convicted in January on charges of sending anti-state social media posts, which they deny, stating they are being persecuted for their activism against the disappearance of nationalist activists. Mazari, known for defending ethnic minorities and journalists, had challenged the conviction, which was based on social media posts critical of military operations in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. International groups, including the UN and Amnesty International, had questioned the trial's fairness, while Pakistan maintained its judiciary is independent. Mazari's mother, Shireen Mazari, a former human rights minister, expressed gratitude for the Supreme Court's decision.