ATC imposes additional 35 years imprisonment and fine of Rs 1.5 million as trial was held in absence of accused
Major (retd) Adil Raja. SCREEN CAPTURE
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad handed down double life sentences to YouTuber Adil Raja, former army officer Syed Akbar Hussain and journalists Wajahat Saeed, Sabir Shakir, Moeed Pirzada, Shaheen Sehbai and Haider Mehdi, according to the court order.
The sentences were announced by ATC judge Tahir Abbas Sipra in cases described in the FIRs as “digital terrorism” against state institutions in the context of the events of May 9, 2023. The court also awarded additional sentences totaling 35 years in other sections, along with total fines of Rs 1.5 million.
Read: Government bans YouTuber Adil Raja
The court awarded life imprisonment to Sabir Shakir, Moeed Pirzada and Syed Akbar Hussain in cases registered at Aabpara police station, while separate cases registered at Ramna police station led to the sentencing of Shaheen Sehbai, Haider Mehdi and Wajahat Saeed.
The prosecution, headed by Raja Naveed Hussain Kiani, presented 24 witnesses before the court. At the request of the prosecution, the ATC proceeded and concluded the trial in the absence of the accused, and the court appointed lawyer Gulfam Ashraf Goraya to represent them.
The court noted that under the Anti-Terrorism Law, the trial can be carried out in the absence of the accused, subject to legal requirements.
