The Miaan Group joins 20 other civil society organizations to call for the release of Dr. Mahrang Baloch. She was arrested on March 22, 2025.
April 15, 2025
Petition for the Immediate Release of Dr. Mahrang Baloch
In a shocking escalation of state repression, Pakistani authorities arrested Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a leading advocate against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in Balochistan, on March 22, 2025. Dr. Mahrang Baloch, a medical graduate, has been at the forefront of the struggle for justice, tirelessly advocating for the families of victims forcibly disappeared by Pakistani security forces.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch has been suffering from severe food poisoning since March 28, 2025, with her condition reportedly worsening overnight. Despite repeated requests, no proper medical examination has been conducted. A junior doctor provided only a brief check-up, which her family deemed insufficient. Nadia Baloch has reported that her sister appears extremely weak and fragile, raising serious concerns that her condition is more critical than prison authorities have acknowledged.
The family has demanded that an independent medical board of experienced doctors be immediately granted access to assess her condition. They have also urged civil society, the media, and the legal community to intervene to ensure that court orders are enforced and that Dr. Mahrang receives the urgent medical care to which she is entitled.
We, the undersigned,
- Express our strongest concern for Dr. Mahrang Baloch’s health and condemn her unjust arrest. We demand her immediate and unconditional release.
- Urge Western governments, the European Parliament, and the European Union to take decisive action to pressure the Pakistani authorities to release Dr. Mahrang Baloch without delay.
Dr. Mahrang Baloch’s detention and deteriorating health condition are matters of grave human rights concern. We call on the international community to act now before it is too late.
Background Information
As the situation in Balochistan deteriorates, the global community must act urgently to hold Pakistan accountable for its ongoing human rights abuses, enforced disappearances, and suppression of fundamental freedoms. Dr. Mahrang’s courageous activism has been globally recognized.
She leads a human rights movement called the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC). Her unwavering commitment to human rights gained international attention in December 2023 when she led thousands of Baloch families in a historic march to Islamabad, demanding accountability for state-sponsored violence in Balochistan. Despite facing intimidation, legal harassment, and threats to her life, she has remained steadfast in her mission. Her activism is deeply personal—her own father, Ghaffar Langov, was abducted multiple times and later extrajudicially executed.
Dr. Mahrang’s courageous activism has been globally recognized. In December 2024, Dr Mahrang was included in the BBC’s 100 Women list. Time magazine also named her in its TIME 100 Next 2024 list. In 2025, she was nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.
Her March 22, 2025 arrest, while leading a peaceful protest in Quetta, has sparked widespread outrage. She is currently being held in Central Jail Huddah, where her family and supporters fear for her safety, as she is reportedly detained under harsh and inhumane conditions.
Dr. Mahrang’s arrest comes after thousands of Baloch gathered in Dalbandin in January 25, 2025, to observe Baloch Genocide Day, a solemn commemoration of the 2014 discovery of a mass grave in the Thotak area of Khuzdar, where the bodies of many missing persons were uncovered. The event, organized by the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, was the second major Baloch national gathering in recent months, following the July 2024 confrontation in Gwadar, where Pakistani security forces killed at least five protesters. At the Dalbandin gathering, Dr. Mahrang Baloch delivered a powerful speech condemning extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and the exploitation of Baluchistan’s natural resources. However, in a blatant attempt to suppress their voices, Pakistani authorities shut down internet and mobile services across Chagai, Noshki, Kharan, and other cities in the Rakhshan division, leaving the region in an information blackout.
Amid the intensifying crackdown, serious concerns have emerged regarding Dr. Mahrang Baloch’s deteriorating health and the denial of her legal rights as a prisoner. Nadia Baloch, her sister, has revealed in a statement on social media that despite a High Court order permitting family visits, jail authorities subjected her and their mother to an exhausting eight-hour wait, only to allow them to speak with Dr. Mahrang through a thick glass wall over the phone. Nadia Baloch further disclosed that intelligence agencies have taken full control of the prison, installing surveillance cameras throughout the facility and setting up a fully monitored meeting room equipped with cameras and microphones. Additionally, the prison is undergoing major administrative changes, with new staff being brought in and the jail superintendent already transferred.
The Pakistani government’s continued crackdown on Baloch activists, including the systematic use of enforced disappearances, FIRs (First Information Reports, complaints against individuals), and arrests, is part of a broader strategy to silence dissent and suppress demands for justice and self-determination. Dr. Mahrang’s arrest stands as a stark reminder of the Baloch people’s resilience in the face of escalating state oppression.
Signatures,
AHRAZ Association for the Human Rights of the Azerbaijani People
Arseh Sevom
Azadi Network UK
The Baloch Activists Campaign
BHRG Balochistan Human Rights Group
BRAMSH Balochistan Woman’s Voice
Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran
Centre for Supporters of Human Rights
Defenders of Human Rights Center
Free Vrishe Moradi Campaign
Global Network to Free Political Prisoners in Iran
Justice-Seeking of Kurdistan دادخواهان کردستان
Kurdistan Human Rights Association – Geneva (KMMK-G)
Kurdistan Human Rights Network
Me Too Movement Iran من-هم ایران
Miaan Group
Shiwar
Stop Honor Killing
United Kurdistan Women اتحاد زنان کردستان
WLF Belgium زن زندگی آزادی بلژیک
Women in Kurdistan Against Gender Discrimination جنبش زنان کردستان علیه تبعیض جنسیتی
