Sammi Deen Baloch, a prominent Baloch rights activist and General Secretary of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), has been awarded the prestigious Front Line Defenders Award 2024 for the Asia-Pacific region.
The Annual Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk was established in 2005 to honour the work of HRDs who are courageously making outstanding contributions to the promotion and protection of the human rights of others, often at great personal risk to themselves. The Award focuses international attention on the work and struggles of HRDs, providing a greater national and international platform to speak about and advocate for the human rights issues they are defending.
This year’s laureates were selected from among scores of candidates put forward in a secure, public nomination process carried out between November 2023 and January 2024. In addition to a cash prize and protection grant, the winners receive support from Front Line Defenders on digital and physical security, advocacy, visibility, well-being, and more.
At a ceremony held at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, Ms. Baloch was honoured for her extraordinary courage and leadership in advocating for justice and human rights in Balochistan. The ceremony was attended by foreign diplomats, representatives of the Irish government, civil society, and media organisations among others. Irish parliamentary patrons for the Award included: Senator Róisín Garvey, Charlie Flanagan TD, Cormac Devlin TD, Ivana Bacik TD, and Sean Crowe TD.
The award recognises her fifteen-year struggle against enforced disappearances and human rights violations in the region. In her victory speech, which deeply moved the audience, Sammi Deen Baloch said, “Some say I am a beacon of hope for other victim families, a guiding light in their darkest hour. But the weight of this responsibility is a heavy burden to bear. Can you grasp the depth of helplessness in Balochistan, when other victims seek solace in me? A daughter who has spent the last 15 years searching for her own father.”
Following the ceremony, Sammi Deen Baloch shared a heartfelt statement on the social media platform X, expressing her gratitude for the recognition. “I am deeply honoured to receive the Front Line Defenders 2024 Award for Asia at today’s ceremony in Dublin, Ireland. I am profoundly grateful to Front Line Defenders for recognizing my fifteen-year struggle against enforced disappearances and human rights violations in Balochistan, Pakistan. I dedicate this award to Baloch women, especially those whose loved ones have been forcibly disappeared or killed extrajudicially. I hold the utmost respect for their tireless struggle.”
She continued, “I also share this award with human rights activists across the world who are fighting for human rights and dignity, truth and justice. Since the enforced disappearance of my father, Dr. Deen Mohammad, in 2009, I, at the age of 10, began protesting for his safe release and to know about his whereabouts. My family and I have spent the past fifteen years seeking justice, yet my father’s whereabouts and safety remain unknown to this day.”
Ms. Baloch highlighted the collective pain shared by thousands of families in Balochistan and other regions of Pakistan. “Through this struggle, I realized that the pain and oppression our family faces is shared by thousands of other families in Balochistan and other regions of Pakistan. My life has been shaped by attending protest camps, visiting press clubs, and organising rallies, demanding an end to the inhuman practice of enforced disappearances and the release of all missing persons, including my father.”
She emphasized her ongoing commitment to the cause, saying, “Like any other victim’s family, I grapple daily with hope and despair. Each night I sleep with a sense of hopelessness, but every morning I wake with renewed resolve to continue the fight. Enforced disappearances are among the worst crimes against humanity. They strip individuals of their basic human rights, dignity, family life, and the right to a fair trial. This collective punishment leads to collective trauma and suffering.”
“I will continue to fight for the safe release of all the missing persons including my father. Alongside my fellow human rights defenders, Baloch women, and the families of missing persons, I will continue to demand justice for the victims and their families. I will persist in my peaceful struggle against enforced disappearances and fight for the release of all missing persons.”
In closing, she thanked those who have supported her journey. “Lastly, I am thankful to everyone—my family, friends, and colleagues who have supported me on this journey and especially the forcibly disappeared victim families who hoped and believed in me. Together, we can safeguard human rights and resist state oppression.”
Sammi Deen Baloch has been a leading voice in the movement against enforced disappearances in Balochistan. She has spearheaded significant movements, including long marches from Quetta to Karachi and Islamabad organized by the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP). Her activism gained further attention with last year’s march from Quetta to Islamabad, protesting enforced disappearances and the killing of Baloch missing persons in ‘fake’ encounters.