Amnesty International, Front Line Defenders (FLD) and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) have condemned the life sentences handed to Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders Dr Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah Shahji.
The organisations called for their release or the withdrawal of the convictions, while HRCP urged authorities to review the decision and begin a political dialogue in Balochistan.
‘Affront to the right to a fair trial’
Amnesty International said the verdict demonstrated how Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws were being “cynically misused to silence peaceful dissent.”
“This verdict, which is an affront to the right to a fair trial, demonstrates how Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws are being cynically misused to silence peaceful dissent,” Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty’s acting regional director for South Asia, said.
She said the convictions followed an “expedited secret trial” conducted on jail premises, during which serious concerns were raised over international fair-trial standards and due process.
According to Amnesty, no direct evidence was presented linking Dr Mahrang or Sibghatullah to the alleged violence during the 2024 “Baloch Raaji Muchi” gathering in Gwadar.
The organisation said the verdict followed a prolonged period of what it described as unlawful detention. Dr Mahrang was arrested in March 2025 following a peaceful sit-in and subsequently named in more than two dozen anti-terrorism cases across Pakistan, it added.
“These cases were so high in number that it was difficult for her lawyers to even keep track, let alone provide meaningful legal representation,” Lassee said.
Amnesty said Dr Mahrang and Sibghatullah had boycotted the proceedings after repeatedly being denied what they considered a fair trial. A state-appointed defence lawyer later represented them without consulting them, while they were offered participation only through a video link during the later stages, according to the organisation.
It said the judgment implicated Dr Mahrang for participating in the gathering and allegedly making an inciting speech in which state officials were described as “occupiers,” but did not establish how her speech met the legal threshold for murder or terrorism.
Sibghatullah was accused of being part of a crowd that moved towards the Frontier Corps personnel whose death formed the basis of the case.
“Mahrang and Shah Jee are being targeted solely for their human rights work,” Lassee said. “They should be immediately released, with all charges related to their activism dropped.”
Amnesty also noted that at least three Baloch protesters were killed during the mobilisation, adding that no one had yet been charged over their deaths.
‘Immediately drop the charges’
Front Line Defenders (FLD) also condemned the sentences, saying the trial had been conducted inside a jail and that the two activists had been falsely charged in connection with the death of the Frontier Corps personnel.
The Ireland-based organisation said Dr Mahrang’s family and legal team had raised serious concerns about jail trials and video-link hearings, describing them as inconsistent with transparency, public accountability and fair-trial standards.
“We strongly condemn these sentences and call for authorities to immediately drop the charges and sentence against Dr Mahrang and Sibghatullah,” the organisation said.
“We stand in full solidarity with all Baloch human rights defenders.”
‘Review the decision’
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan(HRCP) said it “deplored” the convictions of Dr Mahrang and other BYC members.
“Regrettably, the state has continued its policy of dealing with advocacy for fundamental rights in the same way as it deals with militancy, leading to executive and judicial decisions that are lopsided and prejudiced,” HRCP said.
The commission called for the anti-terrorism court’s decision to be reviewed at the earliest and urged authorities to initiate a political dialogue in Balochistan.