Pakistan: Anti-Terror Court Sentences Mahrang Baloch To Life Imprisonment

Human rights activist Dr Mahrang Baloch was sentenced to life imprisonment by an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan’s Balochistan province.

She was found guilty along with fellow activist Sibghatullah Shah, of murder and terrorism-related offences linked to the death of Shabbir Ahmed, a paramilitary soldier, during a rally in Gwadar in July 2024. They were also fined two lakhs each to be paid to the victim’s family.

The trial was moved from Gwadar to a high-security facility in Quetta, with authorities citing security concerns and disruptions linked to protests by supporters of the Baloch Yekjeti Committee, a human rights movement.

The court also noted that the accused had declined to participate in proceedings through video link, while a state-appointed lawyer represented them.

Mahrang Baloch has been in prison since March last year, when she was arrested in the wake of the attack on the Jaffar Express that resulted in the deaths of 26 people.

Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti welcomed the verdict. A post on X noted that those responsible for violence against security personnel would face accountability.

But supporters of Mahrang Baloch and rights groups have criticised the ruling, calling it a politically motivated case against a prominent voice in Balochistan’s rights movement.

President of the Baloch American Congress, Tara Chand, has written to US President Donald Trump expressing grave concern over the life imprisonment handed down to Mahrang Baloch, saying the verdict undermines due process and the rights of peaceful political activists.

Greta Thunberg, a Swedish activist, criticised the proceedings, calling the trial a “mockery of justice” carried out “in utter secrecy” and alleging that the Pakistani authorities were using legal action to suppress dissent.

(With inputs from agencies)