Key facts
- Mahrang Baloch and Sibghatullah Shah were sentenced to life imprisonment.
- The conviction was for terrorism, sedition, and murder.
- The charges stem from the death of a paramilitary soldier during a 2024 protest in Gwadar.
- Baloch and Shah deny the charges and plan to appeal.
- Mahrang Baloch has been a leading activist against enforced disappearances in Balochistan.
- Baloch was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025.
An anti-terrorism court in Pakistan has sentenced Mahrang Baloch, a prominent activist known for her campaign against enforced disappearances in the Balochistan province, to life imprisonment. She was convicted of terrorism, sedition, and murder in connection with the death of a paramilitary soldier during a protest in Gwadar in 2024. Baloch, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, denies the charges and plans to appeal the verdict, as does fellow convicted activist Sibghatullah Shah.
Baloch's activism stems from the disappearance of her father, Abdul Ghaffar Langove, in 2009 when she was 16. His body was found years later, showing signs of torture. This personal tragedy fueled her decades-long fight for answers regarding thousands of alleged enforced disappearances in Balochistan, a region rich in natural resources but plagued by underdevelopment and conflict. Rights groups accuse security forces of widespread detentions and killings, while the government denies these allegations, suggesting missing individuals have joined militant groups or fled.
Baloch rose to prominence through the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, leading protests and marches, including a 1,000-mile journey to Islamabad in late 2023. She was arrested in March 2025 during a protest in Quetta following the burial of 13 unclaimed bodies. Her sister, Nadia Baloch, stated the family will challenge the court's decision, though she expressed personal difficulty in facing her sister due to the lack of justice so far.