A Pakistani court has sentenced Mahrang Baloch, a prominent Balochistan rights activist, to life in prison. The 33-year-old was arrested in 2025 on charges connected to a protest in the coastal city of Gwadar the previous year, during which clashes erupted and a paramilitary soldier was killed.
Baloch had become an internationally recognized figure for her advocacy on behalf of Baloch communities, drawing attention to enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in the restive province. Her sentencing is likely to draw condemnation from international human rights organizations and deepen concerns about the shrinking space for dissent in Pakistan.
