QUETTA (Pakistan), June 24 (Reuters): A Pakistani anti-terrorism court has sentenced prominent civil rights activist Mahrang Baloch and an associate to life in prison over the killing of a paramilitary soldier during a July 2024 protest.
Baloch's lawyer said he would appeal against the verdict.
Baloch, who has been detained since March 2025, has been a vocal opponent of enforced disappearances and alleged human rights violations in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province, where ethnic separatists have waged a decades-long insurgency.
Human rights activists have criticised the trial, in which the accused were asked to appear via video link from prison but instead boycotted proceedings.
They said the life sentences against Baloch and Sibghatullah, another leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) advocacy group, could further erode trust in the state.
© 2026 - All Rights with The Financial Express
