Pakistan using courts to silence peaceful Baloch voices, says activist

Balochistan [Pakistan] June 26 (ANI): Baloch activist Sammi Deen Baloch has strongly condemned the life imprisonment sentences handed to the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leaders Dr Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah Shahji, accusing Pakistan's state institutions of using the judicial system to suppress peaceful political dissent in Balochistan.

In a video statement issued following the June 22 verdict of an Anti-Terrorism Court, Sammi alleged that the proceedings against detained BYC members were marked by irregularities, including jail court hearings, repeated video-link appearances and faceless trial procedures. She claimed the prosecution persistently pushed for a swift conviction, creating the impression that the outcome had been predetermined.

Calling the verdict "one of the darkest chapters in the country's history," Sammi argued that the case violated constitutional guarantees and the right to a fair trial. She questioned the credibility of the murder case used to convict the activists, alleging that two contradictory FIRs existed regarding the same killing, with different dates mentioned for the victim's death.

The activist further asked why the state had kept BYC members imprisoned for nearly fifteen months before pursuing the murder charges and why authorities had initially relied on the Maintenance of Public Order (3 MPO) law to detain them. According to her, the prolonged detention and subsequent convictions reflected a politically motivated effort to silence voices demanding accountability for enforced disappearances and human rights violations across the region.

Sammi also criticised Pakistani authorities for celebrating the convictions while, she said, thousands of cases of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and mutilated bodies remained unresolved. She argued that genuine justice could only exist if state officials and security personnel accused of abuses were held accountable in the same manner as political activists.

Describing the sentences as an attack on peaceful democratic struggle, Sammi stated that the suppression of moderate political voices could further deepen tensions in Balochistan. (ANI)

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