Balochistan is the largest but most sparsely populated province of Pakistan, lying in the southwest of the country. The dominant ethnic group, Balochs, have resided there for centuries. Sharing a fractious border with Iran and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, the region is rich in natural resources, including gas and minerals, but is plagued by political unrest, militancy and human rights violations.

The campaign for Baloch independence began after Pakistan gained independence from Britain. To this day, many Balochs blame the Pakistani government for profiting from their resources while neglecting development in the region. Baloch separatist groups have led an armed insurgency since 1948, but the campaign for Baloch rights also involves mainstream parties and non-violent activism. 

In recent months, the Pakistani authorities have come down hard on peaceful protesters in Balochistan. As PEN and other human rights organisations have observed, they increasingly conflate acts of peaceful expression with terrorism, resulting in the violation of the rights of Baloch writers, journalists and activists.

One victim of this crackdown is human rights defender and former doctor Mahrang Baloch (her family uses the ethnic identifier as a surname). On 22 March 2025, police in Quetta placed her in ‘preventive detention’, citing Article 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance (MPO). Baloch was participating in a peaceful sit-in in protest at police violence. During demonstrations held the previous day against the detention of several Baloch rights activists arrested in the aftermath of a train hijacking on 11 March, police had shot dead three protesters and injured several others. 

Baloch is a prominent figure in Balochistan’s women-led human rights movement and has received international recognition for her advocacy of the rights of her community. In 2024, she was named as one of the BBC’s ‘100 Most Influential and Inspiring Women’ and featured in Time magazine’s ‘100 Next Emerging Leaders’ list. The same year, Baloch travelled to Norway to spotlight human rights abuses in Balochistan at the World Expression Forum. She was reportedly among the nominees for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize.

She has frequently used her writing to draw attention to the human rights situation in Balochistan. In a 2020 essay, published last year in English translation, Baloch reflected on the experiences of her and her mother, underscoring the decades-long history of enforced disappearances in Pakistan. In July 2011, her father, a campaigner for Baloch rights, was abducted by Pakistani security forces; he was later found dead, his body showing signs of torture. It is a bitter irony that, at the time of writing, Baloch is held in Hudda Prison, Quetta, where her father was detained nearly two decades ago.

In the same essay, Baloch highlighted the devastating impact of such acts on women: ‘Today, scores of women across Pakistan live in a state of uncertainty – not knowing whether their fathers, brothers or husbands are alive or not.’ She concluded: ‘This struggle is all that I have. If I succeed in bringing even one missing person back, it will bring me peace and joy.’

Baloch has been subjected to repeated due-process violations, denying her the ability to establish her innocence. Detention without trial under the MPO is usually limited to three months. After that period, the case should be referred to a review board. Baloch’s detention has been extended on four separate occasions without review. On 8 July, just hours before Baloch’s case was due to be considered by a review board, the case against her was abruptly dropped. She was then rearrested and brought before an anti-terrorism court and remanded in custody for ten days on terrorist charges. Baloch vehemently rejects all the accusations against her, which include sedition and commission of terrorist acts. Her legal representative has issued a civil defamation notice to a Pakistan military spokesperson for making ‘false, malicious and life-threatening’ statements about her.

Baloch claims that the Pakistani authorities’ misuse of the legal system is an attempt to intimidate her into silence. In a recent letter addressed to her family from prison, she wrote, ‘Never forget: True strength is not just physical; it is mental and ideological … Be each other’s support. Never allow yourselves to break. And always remember, your sister is not weak. Weakness is not something we inherited.’

Judyth Hill, chair of PEN International’s Women Writers’ Committee, said, ‘We stand in unwavering solidarity with Mahrang Baloch … Her arrest exposes the deep crisis in free expression, the violent targeting of ethnic minorities, and the grave dangers faced by women who dare to speak truth to power in Pakistan.’ There are growing concerns about Baloch’s well­being in custody. 

Updates:

Award-winning Egyptian poet and lyricist Galal El-Behairy (LR, July 2018), arbitrarily detained for over seven years, began a hunger strike on 16 June 2025 after being repeatedly denied access to reading and writing materials and urgent medical care. El-Behairy has a tumour inside his jaw which impedes his ability to swallow. 

On 1 July, an appeal court in Algeria upheld the five-year prison sentence and fine imposed on French-Algerian author Boualem Sansal (LR, Feb 2025). He was convicted in March on national security-related charges following an unfair trial. Sansal started a hunger strike in February, He is reportedly suffering from cancer, raising concerns about his health and wellbeing.