Baloch woman human rights defender Sabiha Baloch facing risk of imminent arrest and reprisals against her family
On 5 April 2025, Pakistani authorities arrested the father of Baloch woman human rights defender Dr. Sabiha Baloch. There is no information about his whereabouts to date. This arrest is a direct reprisal for the human rights work of Dr. Sabiha Baloch, and an attempt to silence her compel her to surrender to the authorities.
Dr. Sabiha Baloch is a woman human rights defender and member of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a network focused on advocating for the human rights and interests of the Baloch people in Pakistan. Dr. Sabiha Baloch has faced reprisals due to her work, including attacks against her family. Notably, her work as a woman human rights defender has led to the abduction of her brother and relative, who were subsequently released after several months in detention. Dr. Sabiha Baloch has been an integral part of peaceful campaigns against extra judicial killings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests in Balochistan. She was part of the Baloch Long March and the Baloch National Gathering in 2024, which faced severe State reprisals, including violence and arrests. Since March 2025, following the arrest of several leading human rights defenders and members of the BYC, Dr. Sabiha Baloch has continued to document and highlight violations, and demand the release of detained colleagues and protesters.
On 5 April 2025, Pakistani authorities arrested the father of Baloch woman human rights defender Dr. Sabiha Baloch. There is no information about his whereabouts to date. This arrest is a direct reprisal for the human rights work of Dr. Sabiha Baloch, and an attempt to silence her compel her to surrender to the authorities.
Dr. Sabiha Baloch is a woman human rights defender and member of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a network focused on advocating for the human rights and interests of the Baloch people in Pakistan. Dr. Sabiha Baloch has faced reprisals due to her work, including attacks against her family. Notably, her work as a woman human rights defender has led to the abduction of her brother and relative, who were subsequently released after several months in detention. Dr. Sabiha Baloch has been an integral part of peaceful campaigns against extra judicial killings, enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests in Balochistan. She was part of the Baloch Long March and the Baloch National Gathering in 2024, which faced severe State reprisals, including violence and arrests. Since March 2025, following the arrest of several leading human rights defenders and members of the BYC, Dr. Sabiha Baloch has continued to document and highlight violations, and demand the release of detained colleagues and protesters.
On 5 April 2025, Dr. Sabiha Baloch’s father was summoned by police in Hub Chawki, Balochistan and detained. So far, there has been no information about his place of detention and he has been denied access to his family and lawyers, causing serious concerns for his mental and physical safety. Police have reportedly refused to release Dr. Sabiha Baloch’s father until she surrenders to the authorities. Raids are being carried out in several locations to arrest the woman human rights defender, purely as a reprisal for her exercising her right to free speech and peaceful assembly against the conduct of the Pakistani authorities in Balochistan.
On the same day, woman human rights defender Beebow Baloch’s father was arrested by Balochistan police as an act of reprisal against her work. This demonstrates the disturbing pattern of arresting family members as a form of collective punishment, carried out by Pakistani security forces against human rights defenders in order to silence and punish them for their work.
Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned by the treatment of Dr. Sabiha Baloch and the arrest of her father as an act of reprisal for her work as a woman human rights defender. The organisation asserts that Pakistani authorities must release jailed human rights defenders and cease their campaign of reprisals and arbitrary arrests, as such actions have had the clear objective of quashing legitimate dissent in Pakistan.
Front Line Defenders calls on the Pakistani authorities to:
1. Immediately share information about the whereabouts of Dr. Sabiha Baloch’s father and ensure his release as the organisation believes his imprisonment to be a reprisal for her legitimate human rights work;
2. Immediately end the targeting of Dr. Sabiha Baloch and cease attempts to arrest the woman human rights defender as a reprisal for her work as a woman human rights defender;
3. 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;
4. Ensure that Baloch human rights defenders in Pakistan are protected from reprisals, and end their ongoing persecution and punishment in the State, including for exercising their right to free expression and peaceful dissent, under the guise of national security.
