An anti -terrorism court (ATC) in Quetta on Tuesday delivered on Tuesday to the Baloch Jakjehti (Byc) committee, Dr. Mahrang Baloch and other organizers of the group to police custody for 10 days, extending its three -month arrest.
In March, Mahrang and other members of Byc were arrested for “attacking” the Civil Hospital of Quetta and “incite people to violence”, a day after the group faced a police repression for protesting against alleged forced disappearances. The Byc is a Baloch defense group that has been working against forced disappearances since 2018.
Mahrang is currently in the prison of the Hudda district in Quetta under the maintenance of the public order of March 22 (MPO), a law that empowers the authorities to arrest and stop the suspected persons to represent a threat to public order.
In addition to Mahrang, other byc organizers that were sent to a 10 -day preventive detention today include Sibghatullah Shah, drinking Baloch, Ghaffar Baloch, Gulzadi and Beebow Baloch.
Mahrang’s sister, Nadia Baloch, appealed in June against the rejection of a petition claiming her detention under the MPO. The appeal before the Supreme Court argued that the order of the Superior Court was contrary to the Constitution, the law and the facts.
The petition alleged that its repeated illegal detention and label it as a sympathizer of militants was a planned effort of respondents to prevent their voice for missing persons.
The same month, the KECH chapter of the ByC launched a three -day hunger strike in front of the Tobat press club in protest of leadership arrests. The constitutional requests that sought the liberation of the activists were rejected by the Superior Baluchistan Court in May.
Although the Byc does not appear among the organizations prohibited by the National Authority of Terrorism (NACTA), Mahrang is included in its list of proscribed people.
The Byc member, Sammi Deen Baloch, in a position on X, described him as a “matter of concern” that activists were taken to courts without evidence.
“Such actions not only make the State lose its credibility, but also make its own legal and judicial system ineffective and meaningless,” he added.
The outstanding lawyer and civil rights activist Jibran Nasir said in an Instagram position that “the freedom of Byc leaders is now being infringed by exploiting the ATC and criminal laws.”
“Wait long rowers, a delayed audience of bail requests, probably the dismissal of the ATC bond, and when the bond is finally awarded, wait for another arrest and transfer to another district prison in another FIR (First Information Report),” said Nasir in the position.
He added that even if the activists were released, the State could “begin to blatantly exploit the MPO again.”
