The arrest of Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) leader Dr. Mahrang Baloch has been presented before the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, an international legal expert has announced. Kurtuluş Baştimar, Senior Legal Advisor and Director of Prisoners Defenders Asia, said he has officially obtained authorization to submit Dr. Mahrang Baloch’s case to the UN body.
In a X post, he has given a facsimile of the cover letter he has drafted and sent to Dr Miriam Estrada Castillo of Ecuador who is Chief Rapporteur of this group of which there are four other members.
https://twitter.com/Kbastimar36/status/1904168106269790263
“The Pakistani government’s arrest of Mahrang Baloch is a violation of international law. I will soon formally submit a petition on this matter to the United Nations,” Mr. Baştimar said on Sunday, adding that Dr. Baloch’s incommunicado detention and lack of legal counsel breach Pakistan’s international legal obligations, according to The Balochistan Post.
Kurtuluş Baştimar is a lawyer for international human rights, who is also a well known author. As such, he often represents journalists, human rights activists and political prisoners from Iran, Turkey, Vietnam, Cuba and other countries.
Baştimar also mentioned the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and customary international human rights law, arguing Pakistan is failing to meet its commitments.
“My client Dr. Baloch is currently being held incommunicado, without access to legal counsel or her family,” he explained. “This is a direct violation of Pakistan’s obligations under the ICCPR.”
Mr Baştimar, who works on political imprisonment cases at the UN level, described the move as historic. Commenting on the developments, he said: “Today is a historic day. After consulting with Dr. Baloch’s lawyers and supporters, I was entrusted to take her case — the brave voice of freedom — to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.”
Protests Beyond Balochistan
Meanwhile, protests over Dr. Mahrang Baloch’s arrest and recent “state violence” in Quetta have extended beyond Balochistan, reaching other Pakistani cities and several countries abroad. There were reports that major cities like Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Faislabad witnessed spontaneous protests against her arbitrary arrest by the Pakistani security forces.
All over Balochistan, her arrest has served to galvanise ordinary people like never before with several cities remaining closed for the third consecutive day on Monday. At some towns, security forces told the shopkeepers and business establishments to open their shutters but their attempts failed.
In Lahore, the biggest city of Punjab, the Baloch Students Council Punjab held a demonstration outside the Lahore Press Club on Sunday. Participants condemned the “Quetta massacre, the excessive use of force in Balochistan, and the illegal detention” of Dr. Baloch and other BYC leaders. Protesters demanded an immediate end to “state violence” and the release of all detainees. It needs to be mentioned here that a large number of Baloch students are enrolled in colleges and universities all over Pakistan as there are few educational opportunities in Balochistan.
The Baloch National Movement (BNM) organized demonstrations in various European countries, including Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. Some Baloch organisations are reportedly preparing for organisation of anti-Pakistan protests in Geneva (Switzerland), Zurich and Paris etc to bring Dr Mahrang Baloch’s arrest in sharper focus. Geneva is also the headquarters of many UN organisations and as such even small protests there can at times have wide repercussions.
The demonstrations condemned the arrest of Dr Mahrang Baloch, BYC leader Bebarg Baloch, and other activists. BNM also highlighted the deaths of Habib, Imdad, and 12-year-old Naimat, who, were killed when police allegedly opened fire on peaceful protesters in Quetta on Friday. These deaths happened as the Pakistani police opened fire on peaceful Baloch protestors who were shouting slogans against enforced disappearances.
Speakers at these rallies demanded an end to enforced disappearances and the release of all political prisoners, alleging Pakistani forces routinely target civilians, students, academics, and human rights defenders in Balochistan. The ordinary protestors heard them in rapt attention and loudly cheered them when they made allegations against the Pakistani forces.
Activists abroad urged the international community to “intervene and support the Baloch nation’s right to freedom.” They accused Islamabad of “systematic repression” in Balochistan, violating fundamental rights and international standards. Right from the beginning of this month, the Pakistani forces have been facing a multitude of challenges, including repeated violent attacks. However, the arrest of Dr Mahrang Baloch and subsequent events seem to be coalescing into a large crisis of credibility for the Pakistani state.
