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.
“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 the International 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 and 2025.
“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.
*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)
Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organisation, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.
Country-specific observations and recommendations by the UN human rights mechanisms, including the special procedures, the treaty bodies and the Universal Periodic Review, can be found on the Universal Human Rights Index https://uhri.ohchr.org/en/
UN Human Rights, country page – Pakistan