Sammi Deen Baloch and other Baloch human rights defenders arrested by Karachi police
Over the past several days, Pakistan authorities have repeatedly targeted Baloch human rights defenders and arrested members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), including human rights defenders Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Bebarg Zehri. Police have used excessive force against peaceful protestors, firing live bullets and tear-gas, as well as arresting a large number of protestors on 21 and 22 March 2025.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch is a woman human rights defender based in Balochistan, and a leader of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) campaigning against unlawful enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by the Pakistani authorities in the Balochistan Province. Balochistan is a region that has experienced decades of violence, and systemic abuses by Pakistan authorities. This includes the military, intelligence agencies and armed groups that continue to target local commmunities and human rights defenders who seek to document and advocate against the violations.
On 24 March 2025, at around 5:30 PM, Sammi Deen Baloch was forcibly arrested by the Karachi Police during a peaceful protest against the ongoing violations and arrests of Baloch human rights defenders. At the time of writing, there is reliable information that the woman human rights defender has been detained at the Women Police station in Shahrah e Faisal, Karachi.
Sammi Deen Baloch is a prominent woman human rights defender who is a vocal advocate for the rights of Baloch people and has spoken fearlessly against violations in Balochistan, including enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and custodial torture. Sammi Deen Baloch was the Front Line Defenders Award winner for Human Rights Defenders at Risk for 2024 in recognition of her commitment to human rights. She has worked in an extremely hostile context in Balochistan, despite significant personal risk and threats against her family, to highlight ongoing violations and render relief and redress to victims and their families.
On 24 March 2025, at around 5:30 PM, Sammi Deen Baloch and several other human rights defenders were arrested by the Karachi police. She was arrested during a peaceful demonstration at the Karachi Press Club against the ongoing targeting of the Baloch HRDs by the Pakistani state. Video footage of the incident shows law enforcement officials employing excessive force against the woman human rights defender, aggressively pulling her out of a crowd and forcing her into the rear of a vehicle. Over the past several days, Pakistan authorities have repeatedly targeted Baloch human rights defenders and arrested members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), including human rights defenders Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Bebarg Zehri. Police have used excessive force against peaceful protestors, firing live bullets and tear-gas, as well as arresting a large number of protestors on the 21st and 22nd March 2025. At the time of writing, Sammi Deen Baloch has reportedly been detained at the Women Police station in Shahrah e Faisal, Karachi. The excessive force employed during her arrest, as well as the current pattern of targeting Baloch human rights defenders, raises serious concerns regarding her physical and mental safety.
Sammi Deen Baloch has been targeted previously due to her human rights work. She has faced serious reprisals linked to her involvement in the Baloch Long March in December 2023 and the Baloch National Gathering in July 2024, and was arbitrarily prevented from traveling outside Pakistan in August 2024. This arrest on 24th March 2025 is a direct reprisal against her exercise of freedom of expression and the right to peaceful protest.
Front Line Defenders is extremely concerned for the safety and well-being of Sammi Deen Baloch and other human rights defenders who have been arrested due to their peaceful protest for rights and redress in Balochistan. The organisation believes that these reprisals are motivated as punishment for her human rights work.
Front Line Defenders calls on the Pakistani authorities to:
- Initiate an impartial and effective inquiry into the use of excessive force against peaceful protesters, including human rights defenders, with the aim of publishing the findings and bringing those responsible to justice in accordance with international standards;
- Immediately release Sammi Deen Baloch and other human rights defenders who have been arrested and dismiss all charges against them;
- Immediately provide Sammi Deen Baloch access to her lawyer and family members;
- Ensure that human rights defenders in Pakistan are protected from reprisals and end the ongoing persecution and punishment of Baloch human rights defenders in the State, including for exercising their right to free expression and peaceful dissent.
