Mahrang Baloch’s Detention Challenged at UN Over Arbitrary Claim

Human rights defender Mahrang Baloch, leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Pakistani anti‑terrorism court for alleged involvement in the killing of a Frontier Corps officer. International organisations – the Human Rights Foundation, Freedom House and Hindus for Human Rights – filed a petition with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, urging it to declare her detention arbitrary under international law and to call for her immediate, unconditional release. The petition cites serious due‑process violations, including arrest without a warrant, denial of legal counsel for nearly a month and a delayed trial before a partial judge. Rights groups described the sentence as an effort to silence Baloch dissent and appealed to the global community to increase pressure on Pakistani authorities.

The Baloch Yakjehti Committee thanked the organisations for bringing the case before the UN and reiterated its call for an end to the persecution of human‑rights defenders in Balochistan.