Pakistani court sentences activist Mahrang Baloch to life in prison

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court sentenced civil rights activist Mahrang Baloch and an associate to life in prison. The case stems from the killing of Frontier Corps Sepoy Shabbir Baloch during a July 2024 protest in Gwadar.

Baloch has been detained since March 2025. Her lawyer said the verdict will be appealed. Rights activists said the proceedings were deeply flawed. The accused were expected to appear by video link from prison but instead boycotted the case.

Baloch leads the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, which campaigns against enforced disappearances, extrajudicial murder and economic injustice in Pakistan’s southwestern province. Amnesty International said five Baloch activists, including Baloch, were facing trial in prison without access to media or independent observers, a situation it says has fueled concern about arbitrary detention and pressure on protest leaders.

Provincial authorities defended the case as a lawful response to violence. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said justice had been served for the slain paramilitary soldier. Officials in the province have argued that anyone who uses violence against state personnel under cover of a peaceful protest can be prosecuted as a terrorist. Rights groups say that stretches anti-terror laws into a tool for silencing activism.

Balochistan has long been marked by enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, curbs on press freedom, misgovernance and political manipulation. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan's 2023 report said the province’s unrest also reflects economic exclusion and demands for more independent governance.

Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by area, covering 347,190 square kilometers, or about 43.6% of the country’s land, but its 2023 census population was 14,894,402. The Baloch Yakjehti Committee’s long march to Islamabad was over enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.