Front Line Defenders has expressed deep concern for the safety of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a prominent Baloch human rights defender, who was arrested by Pakistani police on 22 March 2025 while participating in a peaceful sit-in protest in Quetta, Balochistan. Dr. Baloch, alongside her younger sister Mehran-e-Sareng and two other individuals, was detained for nearly 12 hours before being located at Hudda District Prison in Quetta.
Dr. Baloch, named among BBC’s 100 Women and recognised by Time Magazine as one of its 100 Next Emerging Leaders, has been an ardent advocate for the rights of the Baloch people. As an organiser for the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), she campaigns against enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, mass arrests, and torture in Balochistan. Her tireless efforts to expose the systemic human rights violations perpetrated by the Pakistani authorities, especially the military, police, and intelligence agencies, have led to increasing state repression against her and other human rights defenders.
We are calling for the immediate release of prominent WHRD Dr. Mahrang Baloch, who was arrested by Pakistani police early this morning at a peaceful protest in Quetta.
We also call for the release of HRD Bebarg Zehri and his brother, abducted from their home on 20… pic.twitter.com/cRDxQWZRuq
In recent months, attacks against Baloch human rights defenders have escalated, particularly following an attack by militants on a passenger train on 11 March 2025. Pakistan’s authorities have used this incident to further suppress peaceful human rights defenders, including the abduction of BYC member Bebarg Zehri and his brother in the early hours of 20 March 2025. Additionally, a police assault on a peaceful protest in Quetta on 21 March 2025 resulted in the deaths of three protesters and left seven others critically injured. Over 100 individuals were arrested during the protest and remain in state custody.
On 22 March 2025, Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other affected families organised a sit-in protest on Sariab Road, Quetta, with the bodies of those killed in the police attack. At 5 am, a large police contingent arrested Dr. Baloch, her sister, and several others while taking the bodies into custody. Police withheld information about their whereabouts for nearly 12 hours, raising serious concerns for their safety. The situation was further compounded by an internet shutdown in the area, making communication and access to information difficult.
Front Line Defenders strongly condemns the ongoing repression of Baloch human rights defenders and calls for the immediate release of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, her sister, and the other detainees. The organisation also demands that Pakistani authorities conduct an independent inquiry into the use of force during the 21 March protest, which led to the deaths of three individuals and the injury of seven others. Front Line Defenders urges Pakistan to hold those responsible for the violence accountable.
Front Line Defenders calls on Pakistani authorities to ensure the physical and mental well-being of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, grant her access to legal counsel, and release her immediately. The organisation believes her arrest is a direct retaliation for her human rights work and her outspoken stance against state violations.
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