Pakistan activist Mahrang Baloch given life sentence over soldier’s killing at rally
A prominent human rights activist who spent years campaigning against enforced disappearances in Pakistan’s Balochistan province has been sentenced to life in prison for the killing of a paramilitary soldier at a rally in 2024.
Mahrang Baloch, leader of Balochistan Unity Committee (BYC), was found guilty of murder and terrorism along with fellow activist Sibghatullah.
Prosecutors accused the duo of inciting a mob that fatally attacked paramilitary soldier Shabbir Ahmed.
The activists, who boycotted the hearing along with their legal team, deny the accusations.
A security official accused Baloch of making a “very provocative speech” at a protest in the port city of Gwadar, which resulted in 30-40 people hitting his soldiers’ vehicles with sticks and stones.
The official claimed that Shabbir Ahmed was isolated from the others and beaten to death.
An anti-terrorism court in Quetta said Baloch and Sibghatullah “were active in the illegal convening of the Baloch Unity Committee and had common goals in the murder of the Federal Police Service official.”
He sentenced them to life imprisonment and ordered Ahmed’s heirs to pay a fine of 200,000 Pakistani rupees (£543; $719).
According to local media reports, Baloch and Sibgatullah have already been in prison for two years on various charges.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan called for an immediate review of the decision.
He said the state “continues its policy of treating fundamental rights defense in the same way as extremism, which has led to unilateral and biased administrative and judicial decisions.”
Baloch’s sister, lawyer Nadia Baloch, and the activists’ legal team said they were denied due process and rejected the decision.
They said the decision was made by an “unknown court” and that defense lawyers had failed to properly cross-examine witnesses who gave evidence via video link.
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg also criticized the trial, issuing a statement describing the trial as a “mockery of justice” conducted in “complete secrecy” and accusing the Pakistani state of criminalizing dissent.
A spokesman for the Balochistan government told the Associated Press news agency that prosecutors had “undeniable evidence” and that the case was not politically motivated.
