GENEVA (8 July 2026) – UN experts*
today were gravely alarmed by the unjustified sentencing of
prominent Baloch woman human rights defender, Dr. Mahrang
Baloch, to two terms of life imprisonment by an
Anti-Terrorism Court in Quetta.
“Dr. Baloch’s
punishment is a travesty of justice, following an unfair
trial and the misuse of counter-terrorism and murder charges
to suppress peaceful protest and freedoms of association and
expression,” the experts said.
Dr. Baloch leads the
Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a network advocating for
the rights of the minority Baloch community. She was
convicted alongside another BYC leader, Sibghatullah Shahji,
in connection with the killing of a Frontier Corps member
during a sit-in protest in Gwadar in July 2024. The protest
highlighted systemic discrimination, enforced
disappearances, State violence, impunity, and the unlawful
appropriation of Indigenous lands and resources linked to
foreign investment, including the Reko
Diq mine.
The Court inferred that they shared a
common intent to murder due to their mere participation in a
protest. It further classified their conduct as terrorism
under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Several additional cases
remain pending, with hearings ongoing. The experts warned
that further convictions remain possible, as at least 50
police complaints are reportedly pending against Dr.
Baloch.
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“We are dismayed by the number of cases Dr.
Baloch has faced, which aim to intimidate, punish and deter
her and other Baloch activists advocating for victims of
human rights violations,” they said.
The experts
said her trial had been marred by serious due process
concerns. The trial was moved to a prison, and the accused
were denied the opportunity to attend in person, despite Dr.
Baloch having expressed concerns about remote video
proceedings and her ability to effectively participate in
her defence. Dr. Baloch was also unable to choose her own
legal counsel and was compelled to be represented by
State-appointed counsel.
The experts are concerned
about Dr. Mahrang Baloch’s health and poor conditions of
detention, including inadequate access to medical care, and
allegations of pressure on her family.
“The right to
fair trial under international law must always be respected,
even where national security or counter-terrorism measures
are invoked,” the experts said, calling on Pakistan to
comply fully with its obligations under theInternational
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its own
constitutional guarantees. They called on authorities to
prevent the misuse of counter-terrorism
legislation.
The conviction of Dr. Baloch arose in the
context of a crackdown on the BYC after demonstrations and
security operations in Balochistan, with reports of
excessive force, arbitrary detention, enforced
disappearances, and movement
restrictions.
“Counter-terrorism laws and
blacklists, such as the Fourth Schedule and the Exit Control
List, have been misused against people exercising their
freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, expression and
their right to defend and promote human rights” the
experts said. They previously raised these concerns with the
authorities in
2024 and2025.
“These
convictions risk silencing independent voices in Balochistan
and further shrinking civic space,” they said. “Women
human rights defenders have led protests against enforced
disappearances and extrajudicial killings and demanded
accountability. In a deeply patriarchal security context,
their leadership has challenged entrenched norms. The misuse
of counter-terrorism measures has deeply stigmatised them
and heightened risks of gendered threats and
reprisals.”
The experts recalled that where business
and investment projects affect Indigenous Peoples and local
communities, States must protect against human rights
abuses, including by ensuring that individuals can safely
raise their concerns. Business enterprises have a
responsibility to respect human rights, including through
human rights due diligence and meaningful engagement with
affected communities, in line with the UN Guiding Principles
on Business and Human Rights.
Only last week, another
prominent Baloch woman human rights defender, Sammi
Deen Baloch, was subject to an unlawful raid on her
family home following repeated visits by large numbers of
security personnel, in a pattern of intimidation and
harassment.
Notes:
*The
experts:
- Ben Saul,
Special
Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights
and fundamental freedoms while countering
terrorism - Gabriella
Citroni (Chair-Rapporteur), Grażyna Baranowska
(Vice-Chair), Aua Baldé, Ana Lorena Delgadillo Pérez,
Working
Group on Enforced or Involuntary
Disappearances - Irene
Khan, Special
Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to
freedom of opinion and
expression - Gina Romero,
Special
Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and
of association - Andrea
Bolaños Vargas, Special
Rapporteur on the situation of human rights
defenders - Reem
Alsalem, Special
Rapporteur on violence against women and girls, its causes
and consequences - Nicolas
Levrat, Special
Rapporteur on minority
issues - Robert
McCorquodale,(Chairperson), Fernanda Hopenhaym
(Vice-Chairperson), Lyra Jakulevičienė, Damilola Olawuyi
and Pichamon Yeophantong,
Working Group on business and human
rights)
