A group of UN-appointed independent human rights experts has called on the Pakistani government to immediately release detained Baloch human rights defenders and halt its violent crackdown on peaceful protests. The experts expressed growing concern over the rising number of arrests and enforced disappearances of Baloch activists, highlighting recent violent incidents that have escalated their concerns.
The experts particularly pointed to the Pakistani police’s actions against the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) following a deadly attack by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) on a passenger train on March 11, 2025. In the aftermath of the attack, several Baloch human rights defenders from the BYC were arrested or forcibly disappeared by Pakistan’s Counter Terrorism Department.
“We have been monitoring with growing concern reports of alleged arrests and enforced disappearances of Baloch activists over the past number of months, and the violent incidents in the past few days have significantly increased our concerns,” the experts said.
The UN report sai that on March 21, 2025, Quetta police raided a peaceful BYC protest outside the University of Balochistan, where demonstrators were calling for the release of detained and disappeared activists. The police action resulted in the deaths of three individuals, with many others injured and dozens arrested.
“Once again we see the use of excessive force as a first response to peaceful protests,” the experts said. “We understand the deeply traumatic impact of the 11 March terrorist attack, and we express our deepest sympathy to the victims of this attacks, yet a response which relies on arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and violent crackdowns on freedom of assembly cannot alleviate that trauma.”
The UN experts said tht following the police violence, the BYC organized a sit-in protest on Saryab Road in Quetta on March 22, 2025, with the bodies of those killed during the March 21 police operation. The protest was raided by police using batons and tear gas. Several BYC activists, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a prominent leader of the movement, were detained, and Dr. Mahrang’s whereabouts were unknown for nearly 12 hours. She was reportedly denied access to family visits and legal counsel.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch, along with many other BYC members, has been charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The report further said that on March 24, 2025, another prominent BYC member, Sammi Deen Baloch, was arrested by Karachi police as she protested against the ongoing crackdown. Sammi Deen and several other activists were detained under the Sindh Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance for 30 days.
“We are extremely concerned for the welfare of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Sammi Deen Baloch and other human rights defenders detained for exercising their right to peaceful assembly. We urge the Pakistani authorities to immediately release them and to refrain from abusing counter-terrorism or public safety measures against human rights defenders, and we call on the authorities to clarify without delay the fate and whereabouts of all those reportedly subjected to enforced disappearances,” the experts said.
The experts also called for Pakistan to clarify the fate and whereabouts of those subjected to enforced disappearances and to ensure that counter-terrorism efforts align with the UN’s Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy.
The group of UN human rights experts, including Mary Lawlor (Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders), Gabriella Citroni (Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances), and other prominent experts, emphasized that they act in an independent capacity and their views do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the UN or OHCHR.
The experts are in ongoing contact with Pakistani authorities regarding their concerns, urging immediate action to address human rights violations and ensure the safety of detained Baloch activists.