Reacting to the life sentences given by Quetta’s Anti-Terrorism court to Baloch activists Mahrang Baloch and Sibghat Ullah Shah Jee on 22 June over their involvement in a 2024 protest during which a security officer was killed, Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Acting Regional Director for South Asia, said:
“This verdict, which is an affront to the right to a fair trial, demonstrates how Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws are being cynically misused to silence peaceful dissent. The conviction and sentence followed an expedited secret trial conducted on jail premises, during which serious concerns were raised over international fair trial standards and due process. No direct evidence was presented linking Mahrang and Shah Jee to the alleged violence.
“It also comes after a prolonged period of unlawful detention. Mahrang was arrested in March 2025 following a peaceful sit-in and later charged with over two dozen anti-terrorism cases filed across Pakistan. These cases were so high in number that it was difficult for her lawyers to even keep track, let alone provide meaningful legal representation.
No direct evidence was presented linking Mahrang and Shah Jee to the alleged violence
Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Acting Regional Director for South Asia
