The arrest of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Dr. Mahrang Baloch will soon be presented before the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, an international legal expert announced on Sunday.
Kurtuluş Baştimar, Senior Legal Advisor and Director of Prisoners Defenders Asia, said he has officially obtained authorization to submit Dr. Mahrang Baloch’s case to the UN body.
“The Pakistani government’s arrest of Mahrang Baloch is a violation of international law. I will soon formally submit a petition on this matter to the United Nations,”
Mr. Baştimar said, adding that Dr. Baloch’s incommunicado detention and lack of legal counsel breach Pakistan’s international legal obligations.
Mr. Baştimar also mentioned the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and customary international human rights law, arguing Pakistan is failing to meet its commitments.
“My client Dr. Baloch is currently being held incommunicado, without access to legal counsel or her family,”
he explained.
“This is a direct violation of Pakistan’s obligations under the ICCPR.”
Mr Baştimar, who works on political imprisonment cases at the UN level, described the move as historic.
“Today is a historic day. After consulting with Dr. Baloch’s lawyers and supporters, I was entrusted to take her case — the brave voice of freedom — to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.”
Protests Expand Beyond Balochistan
Meanwhile, protests over Dr. Mahrang Baloch’s arrest and recent “state violence” in Quetta have extended beyond Balochistan, reaching other Pakistani cities and several countries abroad.
In Lahore, the Baloch Students Council Punjab held a demonstration outside the Lahore Press Club on Sunday. Participants condemned the “Quetta massacre, the excessive use of force in Balochistan, and the illegal detention” of Dr. Baloch and other BYC leaders. Protesters demanded an immediate end to “state violence” and the release of all detainees.
The Baloch National Movement (BNM) organized demonstrations in various European countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands.
The demonstrations condemned the arrest of Dr Mahrang Baloch, BYC leader Bebarg Baloch, and other activists.
BNM also highlighted the deaths of Habib, Imdad, and 12-year-old Naimat, who, were killed when police allegedly opened fire on peaceful protesters in Quetta.
Speakers at these rallies demanded an end to enforced disappearances and the release of all political prisoners, alleging Pakistani forces routinely target civilians, students, academics, and human rights defenders in Balochistan.
Activists abroad urged the international community to “intervene and support the Baloch nation’s right to freedom.” They accused Islamabad of “systematic repression” in Balochistan, violating fundamental rights and international standards.
Related: Amnesty International and UN Officials Call for Immediate Release of Dr Mahrang Baloch