Pakistani rights activist Mahrang Baloch sentenced to life in prison

Her lawyer said the defence will challenge the verdict in provincial High Court

Dr Mahrang Baloch, human rights activist and leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), listens to journalists at the Karachi Press Club (KPC) in Karachi, Pakistan Jun 13, 2024. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has sentenced prominent civil rights activist Mahrang Baloch and an associate to life in prison over the killing of a paramilitary soldier during a Jul 2024 protest.

Baloch's lawyer said he would appeal against the verdict.

Baloch, who has been detained since Mar 2025, has been a vocal opponent of enforced disappearances and alleged human rights violations in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, where ethnic separatists have waged a decades-long insurgency.

Human rights activists have criticised the trial, in which the accused were asked to appear via video link from prison but instead boycotted proceedings.

They said the life sentences against Baloch and Sibghatullah, another leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) advocacy group, could further erode trust in the state.

Balochistan government officials said the verdict announced on Monday followed a fair trial and proved its position that protesters who use violence and target state officials can be prosecuted as terrorists.

Sarfaraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan province, said justice had been served for Sepoy Shabbir Baloch, 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 said.

The Quetta anti-terrorism court said it found Baloch and Sibghatullah guilty of murder and terrorism-related offences.

The court said Baloch had incited protesters to attack paramilitary personnel deployed at the protest and that eyewitness and medical evidence supported the prosecution case.

BYC organiser Lala Abdul Baloch called it a "faceless" trial and warned more Baloch youth would likely choose resistance.

"When you close access to the corridors of justice then more people will rise up against the state," he said, adding the group has called a province-wide strike to protest the court's decision.

Baloch's lawyer, Israr Jattak, said on Wednesday the verdict would be challenged in the Balochistan High Court.