A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has sentenced well-known civil rights figure Mahrang Baloch and a fellow activist to life in prison, finding them responsible for the death of a paramilitary soldier during a protest that took place in July 2024.
Baloch’s attorney announced that the verdict would be challenged in court.
Baloch has been behind bars since March 2025. Prior to her detention, she was a prominent voice against enforced disappearances and what she described as human rights abuses in Balochistan, a southwestern Pakistani province where ethnic separatist groups have been engaged in an insurgency spanning several decades.
Human rights advocates have raised serious concerns about the conduct of the trial. The defendants were asked to participate via video link from prison but chose to boycott the proceedings instead.
Activists warned that the life sentences handed down to Baloch and Sibghatullah — another leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) advocacy organization — could deepen mistrust between the Baloch community and the Pakistani government.
Officials from the Balochistan government defended the outcome, stating the verdict followed a fair legal process and demonstrated that protesters who resort to violence and target government personnel can face terrorism charges.
Sarfaraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan province, declared that justice had been delivered for Sepoy Shabbir Baloch, a soldier who was killed by protesters while on duty in the port city of Gwadar.
“Those who take the law into their own hands under the guise of peaceful protest, promote violence, and target state officials are in fact facilitators of terrorism,” Bugti stated.
The Quetta anti-terrorism court found both Baloch and Sibghatullah guilty of murder and terrorism-related charges. According to the court, Baloch had incited protesters to attack paramilitary personnel stationed at the demonstration, and both eyewitness testimony and medical evidence supported the prosecution’s case.
BYC organizer Lala Abdul Baloch condemned the proceedings as a “faceless” trial and cautioned that the ruling could push more young Baloch people toward resistance.
“When you close access to the corridors of justice then more people will rise up against the state,” he said. He added that the group has called for a province-wide strike in protest of the court’s decision.
Baloch’s attorney, Israr Jattak, confirmed on Wednesday that the verdict would be taken before the Balochistan High Court on appeal.
