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Baloch rights activists Mahrang Baloch and Sammi Deen Baloch alleged that they were stopped from traveling to New York for the TIME Magazine gala, where they were invited alongside other leaders named as the publication's Most Influential Emerging Leaders of the Year.
In a post on X, Mahrang Baloch alleged that they were detained at the airport "without any legal justification" and described it as a violation of fundamental right to freedom of movement. She refered to the move as an attempt to silence Baloch voices from "being heard internationally and conceal the decades-long human rights abuses occurring in Balochistan." https://x.com/MahrangBaloch_/status/1843318439777321321?t=fWY13XZ_Jbchlq061c2sAg&s=08 "Today, I was scheduled to travel to New York to attend @TIME Magazine's gala, where I was invited alongside other leaders named as TIME's Most Influential Emerging Leaders of the Year. However, I was unjustly stopped at Karachi International Airport with no legal or valid given reason, which is a clear violation of my fundamental right to freedom of movement," Mahrang Baloch said in the post. "There was no legitimate purpose for preventing my travel, except to silence Baloch voices from being heard internationally, control the flow of information about the situation in Balochistan, and conceal the decades-long human rights abuses occurring in Balochistan," she added. She said that this reflects the growing fear and insecurity of the state toward Baloch voices. "By denying me the right to travel, the Pakistani government seeks to prevent me from exercising my freedom of expression and rights to movement. This arbitrary travel ban is part of the increasing crackdown on Baloch human rights defenders and activists. I will fight back against this unjust restriction on my rights to movement," she said. Sammi Deen Baloch, in a post on X, recalled the experience where she alleged they were subjected to harassment and verbal abuse. She claimed that after leaving the airport, they were ambushed by a group of male police officers and unidentified individuals in plain clothes. https://x.com/SammiBaluch/status/1843402273525055829?t=ONiwvpk3X5YTn8-NtTQihw&s=08 Sammi Deen Baloch claimed that they were searched and harassed and Mahrang Baloch mobile phone, passport, and other belongings were confiscated by the officers. "We have reached home safe and sound. Mahrang Baloch is with me, and she is safe. A number of male police officers, along with men in plain clothes, intending to disappear us, blocked our car minutes after we left Karachi airport," Sammi Deen Baloch said. "They had left us on a deserted dark road after lots of resistance from us. Men police officers and some men in civilian dress pulled at our clothes and dupatta, searched us, used derogatory language, and went through our baggage. They confiscated Mahrang Baloch's mobile phone, passport, and other belongings. They snatched the keys to our car, tortured the driver, and abused us, before leaving us stranded in the middle of the night on a deserted highway. Later, multiple cars and unknown individuals continued to traumatize and harass us," she added. She urged everyone to "speak out against this madness and injustice" saying,"This was a deliberate attempt to harass, intimidate, and silence us, but we refuse to be silenced and are not afraid of this sheer barbarism. We must all speak out against this madness and injustice. If this has happened to us today, it could happen to you tomorrow. Let's join hands and raise our voices together." Recently, during the ongoing 57th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Sammul Baloch, representing the Baloch National Movement (BNM), condemned Pakistan for its severe human rights violations in Balochistan. Her speech detailed the ongoing repression and called for international attention and urgent action to address the situation. Sammul Baloch highlighted the widespread practice of enforced disappearances, where thousands of Baloch citizens have been abducted by Pakistan's security forces, with their whereabouts still unknown. She referenced data from Paank, a Baloch human rights organisation, reporting that between January 2024 and June 2024, 269 individuals--men, women, and children--were abducted. Additionally, 25 people were extrajudicially killed, and 160 were subjected to torture. These enforced disappearances in Balochistan are not isolated incidents; they reflect a broader campaign against dissent. Baloch activists allege that the military and intelligence agencies are orchestrating these abductions to suppress calls for autonomy. This situation instills fear in local communities and further erodes trust in state institutions. (ANI)
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