Leading Pakistan activist given life sentence over soldier's killing at rally

A leading human rights activist who has spent years campaigning against enforced disappearances in the Pakistani province of Balochistan has been sentenced to life in prison over the killing of a paramilitary soldier at a rally in 2024.

Mahrang Baloch, leader of the Balochistan Unity Committee (BYC), was convicted of murder and terrorism alongside fellow activist Sibghatullah.

Prosecutors accused the pair of inciting a mob which fatally attacked paramilitary soldier Shabbir Ahmed.

The activists, who boycotted the trial along with their legal team, deny the charges.

A security official had accused Baloch of giving a "very provocative speech" at the protest in the port city of Gwadar, resulting in 30-40 people striking one of his soldiers' vehicles with sticks and stones.

The official claimed Shabbir Ahmed became separated from the others and was beaten to death.

An anti-terrorism court in Quetta said Baloch and Sibghatullah had been "active in the illegal gathering of the Baloch Unity Committee and had common objectives in the murder of the Federal Constabulary official".

It sentenced them to life imprisonment and ordered they pay a fine of 200,000 Pakistani rupees (£543; $719) to Ahmed's heirs.

Baloch and Sibghatullah have already been in jail for two years on a range of charges, according to local media.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan called for an immediate review of the verdict.

It said the state had "continued its policy of treating fundamental rights advocacy in the same way it treats extremism, resulting in administrative and judicial decisions that are one-sided and biased."

Baloch's sister, lawyer Nadia Baloch, and the activists' legal team said they had been denied due process and rejected the verdict.

They said the ruling was delivered by a "faceless court" and that defence lawyers had been unable to cross-examine eyewitnesses properly, who testified via video link.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg also criticised the proceedings, posting a statement describing the trial as a "mockery of justice" conducted "in utter secrecy" and accusing the Pakistani state of criminalising dissent.

A spokesperson for Balochistan's government told the Associated Press news agency that prosecutors had "undeniable evidence" and said the case was not politically motivated.

Mahrang Baloch, who was listed as one of the BBC's 100 Women of 2024, began campaigning after her father was allegedly taken by security service officers in 2009 and found dead two years later with signs of torture.

In late 2023, she led hundreds of women on a 1,000 mile (1,600km) march to the capital Islamabad to seek justice for missing family members.

Her organisation, the BYC, campaigns against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan, which has been the site of a decades-long struggle for more autonomy.

The BYC rejects allegations by the Pakistani government that it has links to Baloch militants.