By 
Amnesty International has raised great concerns regarding the alleged violations of fundamental rights resulting from the detention and the awaiting trial of five Baloch activists and calls for action.
Photo source: Jeong Yejune, via Unsplash, November 13, 2020.
Photo source: Jeong Yejune, via Unsplash, November 13, 2020.
16-03-2026 | Luna Djellout | Asia Team Researcher, Global Human Rights Defence.
The accused are prominent members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) who have been vocal about the hostile actions against the ethnic group, and especially the aggressive military repression. They were each charged and detained under public order andsecurity grounds starting on March 23, 2025.
At the time of their arrest, UN experts had demanded the release of the Baloch activists and brought light to the larger crackdown on the ethnic community, especially after the train attack by Baloch separatists on March 11, 2025. Some observers argue the arrestswere simply an attempt to stop the resistance and silence the accusations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by the Pakistani military.
After the expiration of the orders on June 22, 2025, release orders were not issued, and the five activists were kept in detention. On July 8, they were subsequently charged with several cases under Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Act and presented in front of an anti-terrorist court to review the legality of their detention. They have remained in detention awaiting trial, which will be held behind closed doors, without the presence of media and human rights observers. During some proceeding that took place on February 7, 2026,the accused expressed great concerns regarding the fairness of the trial after allegedly receiving hostile remarks from the judge.
Amnesty International concludes that the activists are being arbitrarily detained solely for working as human rights defenders and thus, their rights to fair trial, freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly were denied. They also claim that access tomedical care was refused.
