Islamabad, July 18 (IANS) The life imprisonment handed down to Baloch human rights defender Mahrang Baloch last month extends beyond the fate of one activist in Pakistan’s Balochistan province. It has raised a larger question confronting Islamabad: whether a state can effectively defeat violent extremism while simultaneously shrinking the space for peaceful dissent, a report has stated. The answer to that broader question will have implications not only for Balochistan but also for the future …
Latest Mahrang Baloch News & Updates
Geneva, July 8 (IANS) The United Nations experts on Wednesday strongly condemned the life sentence handed down to Baloch woman human rights defender and Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Mahrang Baloch by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Pakistan’s Quetta, describing the verdict as “unjustified” and a “travesty of justice”. The criticism came after the anti-terrorism court on June 22 sentenced four activists, including Mahrang, to life imprisonment in connection with a case relating to the …
Islamabad, July 5 (IANS) An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan’s Quetta sentenced Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch to life imprisonment, sparking criticism from international human rights organisations and reigniting concerns over the trajectory of the rule of law in the country. However, the case has demonstrated how Pakistan’s “Hard State” doctrine is evolving from a counterterrorism strategy into a broader model of governance, a report has detailed. This transformation did not take place overnigh…
Quetta, July 4 (IANS) The recent life sentence handed down to Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Mahrang Baloch is being viewed as a message to Baloch women, whose defiance against Pakistani state atrocities was long underestimated by the country’s security establishment. While the state has long known how to confront tribal leaders, student militants, guerrillas, and exiles, it has struggled to respond to mothers, sisters, and daughters who have taken to the streets carrying photographs of …
Islamabad, July 3 (IANS) The recent conviction of Baloch human rights activist Mahrang Baloch represents an inflection point in Balochistan’s already strained relationship with Islamabad, carrying far-reaching implications for the restive province’s fractured political and security landscape, a report has highlighted.On June 22, a Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced four activists, including Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Mahrang Baloch, to life imprisonment in connection with a cas…
Geneva, July 3 (IANS) Naseem Baloch, Chairman of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), has alleged that Hindu and Christian girls across Pakistan are being abducted, forcibly converted, and married off, describing the ongoing practice as a violation of their identity, dignity, freedom of conscience, family life, and fundamental human rights. Addressing an event titled ‘Forced Conversions and Minority Women’ on the sidelines of the 62nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC 62) …
Quetta, June 30 (IANS) Several leading human rights organisations condemned the raid by Pakistani security forces on the residence of Sammi Deen Baloch, a member of the human rights organisation Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) in Karachi, describing it as part of the state’s continuing campaign of coercion and aggression against the Baloch people.The remarks came after Sammi Deen alleged that law enforcement personnel and intelligence officials raided her residence in her absence and without pri…
Quetta, June 28 (IANS) The life sentence handed down to Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch demonstrates a significant deterioration in the Pakistani state’s engagement with Baloch rights activism. The court’s judgement is likely to increase concerns about the human rights situation in Balochistan and increase the mistrust between the people and the authorities, a report has stated. On June 22, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Quetta sentenced Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) founder Mahrang Baloch an…
Quetta, June 27 (IANS) Human rights body Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has announced that its central leader, Mahrang Baloch, has been nominated for the coveted Nobel Peace Prize for the second time.The announcement made on late Friday came just days after a Pakistani Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced four activists, including Mahrang Baloch, to life imprisonment in connection with a case relating to the killing of a Frontier Corps official — a verdict that sparked widespread global condemnation…
Quetta, June 24 (IANS) People across several regions of Balochistan on Wednesday observed a shutter-down strike in protest against the life imprisonment sentences handed down to Baloch activists, including the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Mahrang Baloch, describing the verdict as “unfair”.These strikes came after a Pakistani anti-terrorism court on Monday sentenced four activists, including Mahrang Baloch, to life imprisonment in connection with a case relating to the killing of a Fron…