Pakistan must halt its crackdown on Baloch human rights defenders, and Dr. Mahrang Baloch should be released immediately.
INTRODUCTION
The recent arrest of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a well-known Baloch human rights campaigner, has underlined the sad reality of governmental brutality in Balochistan. Dr. Mahrang Baloch was detained by Pakistani authorities on March 22, 2025, while participating in a nonviolent sit-in demonstration in Quetta. Her younger sister, Mehran-e-Sareng, and two others were detained, and their locations were unknown for about 12 hours. They are now being imprisoned at the Hudda District Prison in Quetta.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch has received international acclaim for her advocacy, including being named one of the BBC's 100 Most Influential Women of 2024 and one of Time Magazine's 100 Next Emerging Leaders. She has been at the forefront of the fight against human rights violations in Balochistan.As the founder of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), she has bravely advocated against extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and systemic mistreatment of the Baloch people by Pakistan's military, police, and intelligence services.
As part of a growing crackdown on Baloch human rights campaigners, Dr. Mahrang Baloch's detention is not an isolated instance. Historically, nonviolent protests like the Baloch Long March in December 2023 and the Baloch National Gathering in July 2024 have been violently suppressed with mass arrests and live fire.
On March 22, 2025, Dr. Mahrang Baloch organised a demonstration on Sariab Road in Quetta alongside the relatives of those slain in the police operation. Demonstrators brought the corpses of the deceased to the protest site and demanded justice. In response, security forces conducted another operation at 5 a.m., capturing Dr. Baloch, her sister, and many others and taking the remains of the killed demonstrators. An internet shutdown exacerbated the issue, impeding the flow of information and causing grief among detainees' families.
Human rights organisations, including Front Line Defenders, have condemned the actions and called for the immediate release of Dr Mahrang Baloch and all detained protesters. They have also called for an independent investigation into the use of lethal force by Pakistani security forces and accountability for those responsible for the deaths and injuries of peaceful protesters.
Conclusion
The ongoing persecution of Baloch activists must stop. Pakistan must immediately free Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Bebarg Zehri, and all other peaceful demonstrators. The government must discontinue its approach of labelling human rights activists as militant sympathisers and instead engage in serious engagement to address the Baloch people's concerns. The international community must not remain silent and hold Pakistan accountable for its human rights atrocities in Balochistan. Justice must prevail, and human rights advocates must not be silenced.
The ongoing persecution of Baloch activists must stop. Pakistan must immediately free Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Bebarg Zehri, and all other peaceful demonstrators. The government must discontinue its approach of labelling human rights activists as militant sympathisers and instead engage in serious engagement to address the Baloch people's concerns. The international community must not remain silent and hold Pakistan accountable for its human rights atrocities in Balochistan. Justice must prevail, and human rights advocates must not be silenced.
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