|
Members of the Baloch National Movement (BNM) staged a protest rally in Geneva on the sidelines of the 61st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), drawing attention to alleged human rights violations in Pakistan's Balochistan province.
The demonstration began at Parc des Cropettes and proceeded towards the iconic Broken Chair Monument, a symbolic site often associated with global human rights advocacy. Protesters carried placards, photographs, and banners highlighting cases of enforced disappearances, with slogans demanding justice and accountability in the region. Participants, including women and families of alleged victims, voiced concerns over what they described as a continuing pattern of arbitrary detentions and disappearances in Balochistan. Several posters featured images of missing individuals, accompanied by messages calling on the international community to intervene and scrutinise the alleged genocide of Baloch youth and women. A photo exhibition organised near the Broken Chair Monument further amplified these claims.The exhibition displayed portraits and personal stories of missing persons and victim families, aiming to humanise the issue and engage diplomats, delegates, and passersby attending the UN session. According to Niaz Baloch, the photo exhibition was designed to present "the true picture of the human rights situation in Balochistan" to diplomats, Swiss citizens, and the wider international community. He also noted that the campaign will continue with an international conference featuring experts, politicians, and human rights defenders to further discuss the crisis. Echoing similar concerns, Hakeem Baloch alleged that Balochistan is witnessing severe rights violations, including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. "In the past year alone, over 1,300 cases of abductions have been reported. Families of activists are being targeted to silence dissent," he claimed. Hakeem Baloch further alleged that several Baloch women remain in detention and that political activists are imprisoned without fair trial. He also accused Pakistani authorities of carrying out "fake encounters," stating that some individuals killed were previously detained civilians later labelled as militants. (ANI)
|
