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Baloch Activist Gulzadi Baloch Sentenced to Life in Pakistan, Sparks Outcry
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News18•22-09-2026, 11:02
Baloch Activist Gulzadi Baloch Sentenced to Life in Pakistan, Sparks Outcry
- •Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) activist Gulzadi Baloch received a life sentence from an Anti-Terrorism Court in Quetta for the Mach murder case.
- •The verdict is another conviction against BYC leadership, raising international concerns about the treatment of women and children amid a military crackdown in Balochistan.
- •Gulzadi Baloch's defense team rejected the ruling, calling the proceedings compromised, and plans to appeal to the Balochistan High Court.
- •BYC condemned the verdict as politically motivated, alleging a 'faceless trial' and stating it's part of a campaign to silence women-led peace movements.
- •Human rights organizations, including Amnesty International, have criticized the use of closed-door trials and the criminalization of civil rights advocacy in the region.
Key Questions Answered
An Anti-Terrorism Court in Quetta sentenced prominent Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) activist Gulzadi Baloch to life imprisonment in connection with the Mach murder case.
The defence team immediately rejected the court's decision as a compromised process and prepared an immediate appeal for the Balochistan High Court. Meanwhile, the BYC condemned the ruling as a politically motivated 'faceless trial' aimed at criminalizing peaceful dissent and dismantling women-led peace movements.
Gulzadi Baloch's conviction follows similar multi-term life sentences handed down against co-founders Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah Shahji over protest-related charges.
