International Rights Groups Petition UN Over “Illegal” Detention of Dr. Mahrang Baloch
International human rights organizations have filed petitions with the United Nations against the detention of Dr. Mahrang Baloch, head of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), which she and her organization describe as unlawful.
The BYC welcomed the move, saying that the Human Rights Foundation (HRF), Freedom House and Hindus for Human Rights (HfHR) had jointly submitted a petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) regarding the case of BYC organizer Dr. Mahrang Baloch, who is currently serving two life sentences in Pakistan.
According to the BYC, the petition calls on the Working Group to declare her detention arbitrary under international law and to demand her immediate and unconditional release.
The organization said Dr. Mahrang was arrested on March 22, 2025, during a peaceful sit-in protest held a day after the killing of demonstrators. She was arrested without a warrant, held incommunicado for hours and initially detained under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) Ordinance before anti-terrorism charges were abruptly added a law the BYC says has long been used against Baloch activists and human rights defenders. She was denied access to legal counsel for a month, held in prolonged solitary confinement and tried in a closed-door proceeding inside the prison, appearing only via video link. On June 22, 2026, following an expedited hearing that the BYC says produced no material evidence, she was sentenced to two life terms.
A BYC spokesperson said the petition affirms that Dr. Mahrang’s imprisonment is not a matter of law but punishment for her peaceful activism. Her only offense, the group said, was organizing Baloch communities against enforced disappearances, custodial killings and systematic state repression, adding that her sentencing represents an attempt to silence one of the movement’s most prominent voices.
The BYC expressed gratitude to HRF, Freedom House, and HfHR for bringing the case before the UN and urged the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to review it on an urgent basis. The group further appealed to the international community, human rights bodies and civil society to press Pakistan to release Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Sibghatullah Shah Ji, and all detained BYC leaders, and to end actions against human rights defenders in Balochistan.
The BYC reiterated that its mission remains rooted in the peaceful pursuit of justice, truth, and the fundamental rights of the Baloch people, stating that no repression, imprisonment, or intimidation could halt its collective struggle against enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and systemic injustice.
The organization said it would continue to stand with victims, amplify silenced voices, and remain mobilized through peaceful, democratic means until accountability is ensured, all political prisoners are freed, and the Baloch people can live with dignity, security, and the full protection of their fundamental rights under international law.
