Gulzadi Baloch
Gulzadi Baloch is a woman human rights defender and member of the Baloch Yajkehti Committee (BYC), an umbrella organisation advocating against human rights violations in Balochistan. Gulzadi Baloch is a vocal advocate on human rights, actively participating in peaceful campaigns in Balochistan. The woman human rights defender is facing reprisals due to her human rights work, calling for an end to violations against the Baloch community and accountability for perpetrators, including security forces.
Human rights defenders in Pakistan are subjected to a range of attacks and abuses, including extra-judicial killings and violence, arbitrary arrest and detention, brutal sectarian violence, abduction and enforced disappearance, surveillance, threats and judicial harassment. Many HRDs have even had their offices attacked or burnt down and their colleagues killed. There exists a culture of impunity for killings of HRDs and this has emboldened perpetrators and fuelled further violence against them. Behind the veil of national security, the government continues to muzzle those critical of it’s policies and of Islam. In addition to this, HRDs are further threatened and intimidated by various non-state actors such as militants and interest groups.
