The sister of Dr Mahrang Baloch, central organiser of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), has accused jail authorities in Quetta of violating court orders and endangering Dr Baloch’s health.
She said the Balochistan High Court had granted her the right to regular meetings with Dr Baloch, who was arrested on Saturday. However, she claimed that upon visiting Hudda District Prison, she was herself detained for three hours, in defiance of the court’s order issued in CP No. dated 25.03.2025.
She alleged that Dr Baloch is being held among dangerous criminals, putting her life and health at serious risk.
“When she resisted, she was threatened with solitary confinement,” the sister said, adding that surveillance cameras had been installed directly in front of Dr Baloch’s cell and washroom.
She said Dr Baloch is kept under 24-hour surveillance, with no privacy, and that even her choice of clothing is being monitored.
“She has no privacy, and the food appears unhygienic or possibly contaminated,” she added. “Our greatest fear is that she could be given something harmful.”
She further claimed that Dr Baloch and her colleague Beebow have both fallen ill in custody.
“They are not receiving any medical treatment,” she said, criticizing jail authorities for failing to meet basic health standards.
Neither Dr Baloch nor Beebow, she alleged, is being treated as a political prisoner, and both are being denied fundamental rights.
“I appeal to the Quetta legal community and human rights organizations to ensure their safety and fair trial,” she said.
Dr Baloch was arrested along with several colleagues during a pre-dawn police raid on a protest camp in Quetta. The raid drew widespread condemnation from international human rights advocates.
Following her arrest, several high-profile voices, including Nobel laureates Malala Yousafzai and Narges Mohammadi, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights Defenders, Amnesty International, and Front Line Defenders, called for her immediate release.
Sammi Deen Baloch Re-Arrested Under MPO in Karachi
Meanwhile, in Karachi, police re-arrested Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Sammi Deen Baloch shortly after her release by a local court.
According to reports, she was taken into custody from the premises of the judicial magistrate’s court under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) law.
The Sindh government later said that Ms Baloch had been placed in jail for 30 days under the MPO.
In its official notification, the government said that Ms Baloch and five others were detained for “inciting the public” and posing a “threat to public order.”
On Monday, members of the BYC and Karachi’s civil society staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club against the detention of Dr Mahrang Baloch, Bebarg Baloch, and other activists.
Sammi Deen Baloch and several others were arrested during the demonstration.
On Tuesday morning, police presented Ms Baloch and five other protesters before the judicial magistrate’s court at Central Jail, Karachi.
After hearing arguments from the lawyers, the court ordered the release of all six detainees, including Ms Baloch and Lala Wahab Baloch.
However, immediately after their release, police re-arrested Ms Baloch under the MPO.
Sammi Deen Baloch said the arrests would not silence the movement.
“If Pakistan believes it can silence the powerful voices rising in Balochistan by handcuffing us, then thousands of us are prepared to be handcuffed,” she said. “This fight is for our nation. It’s a fight for truth and justice. We know the struggle for justice comes with challenges.”