Free all detained Baloch activists

Baloch activists, including Mahrang Baloch, Bebarg Zehri, Beebow Baloch, Shah Jee Sibghat Ullah, Ghaffar Qambarani, and Gulzadi Baloch, are being unjustly detained simply for their activism. Their arrests violate both international and local laws.

These activists are part of a larger crackdown on peaceful protests and free expression in Balochistan province. Authorities are using anti-terrorism and public order laws to silence those speaking out.

There are serious concerns for their health and safety. While in detention, they are being denied proper healthcare and face a real risk of torture and other abuse.

Here’s what you can do:

Write to the Chief Minister’s Office urging the Pakistani authorities to:

• Release all Baloch activists targeted solely for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.
• Drop all charges and overturn detention orders against Baloch activists targeted solely for exercising their rights.
• End the wider crackdown against activists and protesters across the province by allowing them to exercise their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression without undue restriction.

Detention orders expired, yet activists remain jailed

The detention orders against all six Baloch activists, issued under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance, 1960 (MPO), expired on June 22, 2025. Legally, they should have been released on that date. A case challenging their detention was filed at the Supreme Court on June 12, 2025.

Despite this, on July 8, 2025, the activists were brought before an anti-terrorism court, just hours before a judicial board was set to review the legality of their detention. The court granted law enforcement agencies 10 more days to hold them under charges linked to the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, and Pakistan Penal Code.

In June 2025, the Balochistan Assembly passed the Anti-Terrorism (Balochistan Amendment) Act, which now allows detention without charge for up to three months.

Arrests, poor conditions, and denial of medical care

On March 20, 2025, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) officials arrested Bebarg Zehri, central organizer for the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), and his brother Hammal Zehri from their home in Quetta. Their whereabouts were initially unknown. Later, it was confirmed they were in custody. Bebarg is a person with disabilities and was permanently injured in a grenade explosion in 2010. His family has raised serious concerns about his health in detention.

On March 22, 2025, Mahrang Baloch and Beebow Baloch were arrested during a peaceful protest in Quetta. The protest took place one day after law enforcement killed three protesters through excessive use of force. Both women were detained under Section 3 of the MPO, which allows “preventive” detention. Mahrang suffered food poisoning during her detention in Hudda Jail and was denied access to a specialist doctor despite repeated requests. On May 2, Beebow was briefly moved to CMH hospital due to health issues. Her family alleges she was subjected to physical torture.

More arbitrary arrests and harassment of families

On March 24, 2025, at least six activists were arrested in Karachi for peacefully protesting despite a blanket ban on assembly. They were demanding the release of Baloch activists.

On March 30, 2025, CTD officials detained BYC activist Shah Jee Sibghat Ullah from his home in Quetta under Section 3 of the MPO. On April 7, 2025, Gulzadi Baloch, another BYC activist, was arrested by police and CTD personnel from Quetta.

On April 5, 2025, CTD raided the home of Beebow Baloch and detained her father, Ghaffar Qambarani. Ghaffar, a senior political activist, has been previously targeted through enforced disappearances. His name was also added to the Anti-Terrorism Act’s fourth schedule as a “proscribed person” to limit his movement. Authorities also placed Beebow’s name on travel restriction lists to block her right to movement and protest. Like his daughter, Ghaffar was detained under the MPO.

Crackdown on protesters and widespread enforced disappearances

These arrests are part of a broader crackdown on peaceful protests and freedom of expression in Balochistan. On July 5, 2025, five activists were unlawfully detained after authorities used unnecessary force against people peacefully demanding justice for the alleged extrajudicial killing of 21-year-old Zeeshan Zaheer. Among those detained were four women.

Activists, lawyers, and journalists who speak out against this repression are also being targeted. On July 6, 2025, Baloch human rights defender Gulzar Dost, head of Kech Civil Society, was abducted by CTD officials from his home. In April, authorities filed a criminal case under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, against activist and lawyer Jalila Haider for her online support of Mahrang Baloch.

Enforced disappearances continue to be used across Pakistan to silence journalists, human rights defenders, and minority groups — especially in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In 2024 alone, the Defence of Human Rights (DHR) recorded 2,332 cases of enforced disappearance. Families of the disappeared face harassment, surveillance, and intimidation for demanding answers.

Amnesty International has documented how Pakistani authorities use force, threats, surveillance, and abusive laws to intimidate families of the disappeared and target Baloch activists both in the province and across the country.

Please take action as soon as possible until December 30, 2025. The UA will be duly updated should there be the need for further action.