Supporters of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee are pictured holding pictures of their leader last year, Mahrang Baloch, after she was arrested last year after a protest where a paramilitary soldier was killed. Mahrang and another committee member were sentenced to life in prison on Monday. File Photo by Shahzaib Akber/EPA
June 23 (UPI) -- Two human rights activists in Pakistan were sentenced to life in prison for allegedly inciting a mob in 2024 that attacked and killed a paramilitary soldier.
Mahrang Baloch and Sibghat Ullah Jee were convicted on murder and terrorism charges after prosecutors alleged that they were responsible for the soldier's death, The BBC reported.
Baloch allegedly delivered a "very provocative speech" during the Baloch National Gathering in July 2024 to advocate against enforced disappearances, extrajudicial murder and economic injustice in the Balochistan province, Amnesty International said in a news release.
After the speech, 30 to 40 people allegedly attacked security forces near what prosecutors called an "illegal gathering," separated Shabbir Ahmed from other soldiers and then beat him to death.
