GENEVA: United Nations rights experts on Wednesday condemned the life sentence a court handed a prominent rights activist, calling it a “travesty of justice”.
Dr Mahrang Baloch was arrested in 2025 on charges stemming from a protest in the coastal city of Gwadar the previous year, which sparked clashes that left a paramilitary soldier dead.
“Dr Baloch´s punishment is a travesty of justice, following an unfair trial and the misuse of counter-terrorism and murder charges to suppress peaceful protest and freedoms of association and expression,” more than a dozen independent UN experts said in a joint statement, adding that the court inferred intent to kill due to mere participation in a protest.
The experts, who are mandated by the UN Human Rights Council but who do not speak on behalf of the United Nations, said several additional cases remained pending.
Authorities deny breaching civil liberties and say ramped-up security is necessary to address a deadly insurgency in the border province.Security forces are battling increasing terrorisr attacks in Balochistan.
