UN Rights Experts Condemn Pakistan Activist’s Life Sentence
GENEVA-United Nations human rights experts on Wednesday condemned the life sentence imposed on Pakistani rights activist Mahrang Baloch, describing the conviction as a “travesty of justice” and warning that the case could further restrict civic space in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province.
Baloch, 33, was sentenced to life imprisonment last month by an anti-terrorism court in Quetta after being convicted on murder and terrorism charges linked to a protest held in the coastal city of Gwadar in 2024. The demonstration led to clashes in which a paramilitary soldier was killed.
A founder of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), Baloch was arrested in 2025 in connection with the protest. The group has campaigned against alleged enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions in Balochistan.
In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, more than a dozen independent UN experts said the conviction followed an unfair trial and accused authorities of misusing counter-terrorism and murder charges to suppress peaceful activism.
“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.
They also criticized the court’s reasoning, saying it inferred criminal intent from Baloch’s participation in the protest rather than evidence of direct involvement in violence.
The experts, who are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council but do not speak on behalf of the United Nations, said Baloch continued to face several additional legal cases.
“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,” the statement said.
The experts warned that convictions such as Baloch’s risk silencing independent voices in Balochistan and shrinking civic space in the province.
They also highlighted the role of women human rights defenders in documenting alleged enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, saying their activism had challenged entrenched social and security norms. According to the statement, the use of counter-terrorism laws against female activists has increased the risk of gender-based threats and reprisals.
Pakistan’s authorities have consistently denied allegations of widespread human rights abuses in Balochistan. Officials say enhanced security measures are necessary to combat a long-running separatist insurgency in the province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest but least populated province, is rich in natural resources but remains one of the country’s poorest regions. Security forces have faced an increase in attacks by separatist militant groups in recent years, prompting the government to expand counter-insurgency operations.
The case against Baloch has drawn international attention as rights organizations and UN-appointed experts continue to raise concerns over the treatment of activists and the application of counter-terrorism legislation in Pakistan.
