Pakistan activist Mahrang Baloch sentenced to life in prison after anti-terrorism court verdict

A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has sentenced prominent Baloch activist Mahrang Baloch to life in prison over a murder and terrorism case linked to protests in 2024. The ruling has triggered criticism from rights groups and public figures, and her lawyer has said an appeal will be filed. Another leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, Sibghatullah, was also reported to face life imprisonment in the same case.

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The court held Baloch guilty in connection with the killing of a Pakistani paramilitary soldier during the 2024 protests, according to the supplied material. She has been detained since March 2025, and the proceedings were described by critics as having taken place in secrecy on jail premises. Human rights groups said the accused were asked to appear by video link from prison but boycotted the hearing, while Amnesty International said the verdict was an affront to the right to a fair trial.

Baloch has long campaigned against enforced disappearances in Balochistan, a province in southwestern Pakistan that has seen years of unrest and allegations of abuses. The supplied material says she began campaigning in 2009 after her father was allegedly taken by security personnel and later found dead with signs of torture. It also says she once led an all-women march over a 1,600-kilometre route to Islamabad to seek justice for missing family members from Balochistan and other parts of the country.

The case matters because it sits at the intersection of Pakistan's security policy, the treatment of dissent, and long-running grievances in Balochistan. The government has accused the Baloch Yakjehti Committee of links to Baloch militants, but the organisation has rejected those allegations. The verdict is likely to intensify scrutiny of how anti-terrorism laws are being used in cases involving protest movements and alleged political activism.

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International reaction has already been sharp. Greta Thunberg criticised the trial as a mockery of justice conducted in utter secrecy, and Amnesty said the conviction showed anti-terrorism laws being misused to silence peaceful dissent. The supplied material also says no direct evidence was presented linking Baloch and Shah Jee to the alleged violence, a point raised by critics of the proceedings.

What happens next will depend on the appeal process and whether the sentence is upheld or challenged in a higher court. It remains unclear how quickly that appeal will be heard and whether the case will affect other detained activists linked to the same protests. The verdict is likely to remain a focal point for rights groups, legal observers and political critics watching Pakistan's handling of Balochistan-related unrest.

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