Islamabad, Jan. 2 -- Pakistan's anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Friday handed down multiple life sentences to prominent social media analysts, and anti-establishment commentators Adil Raja, Haider Mehdi, Wajahat Saeed, Sabir Shakir and Moeed Pirzada, on the charge of "committing digital terrorism" in a case related to the May 9, 2023 riots.
The verdict was announced by Anti-Terrorism Court Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra, who apart from life imprisonment, also imposed an additional cumulative 35 years in prison under other legal provisions and levied fines totalling PKR 1.5 million ($5,400).
The verdict has drawn sharp reactions from journalists' groups and civil liberties advocates, who argue that the ruling represents a further tightening of rest...