Quetta, Oct 12: The Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) has strongly condemned Pakistani authorities for conducting court hearings of its detained leaders inside prison premises, describing the move as a “grave attempt to suppress transparency and criminalise peaceful political dissent in Balochistan.”
In a statement issued on Saturday, the BYC said that the judicial remand of all detained leaders, including Dr. Mahrang Baloch, Beebow Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, Beebarg Baloch, and Sibghatullah Shahjee, had been extended for another 10 days. The group accused authorities of repeatedly extending remands since their arrest in March and denying them access to legal counsel.
“The shift to jail hearings marks a deliberate effort to exclude public scrutiny and silence dissent,” the BYC said in a statement shared on X, adding that by moving proceedings behind prison walls, the state has barred families, journalists, and observers from witnessing the process—violating Pakistan’s Constitution and international fair-trial standards.
The BYC leaders were arrested on March 22, allegedly for “attacking” the Quetta Civil Hospital and “inciting people to violence” following a peaceful protest demanding justice for victims of enforced disappearances. They were initially detained under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) for 30 days, a term extended multiple times by the Balochistan Home Department.
Subsequent cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) were also filed against the BYC members. Despite completing several detention terms, their custody continues with periodic remand extensions.
The group called the ongoing detentions “institutionalised repression” and urged national and international human rights organisations to intervene. It also reiterated its demand for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained BYC leaders and an end to the criminalisation of peaceful political activism in Balochistan.
