Global rights groups demand release of Baloch activist Deen Muhammad on 17th anniversary of enforced disappearance

Dublin, June 29 (IANS) Several international human rights organisations and activists have expressed solidarity with human rights defender Sammi Deen Baloch over the 17-year enforced disappearance of her father, Deen Mohammad Baloch, a central leader of the Baloch National Movement (BNM), from Balochistan.

Marking 17th anniversary since the enforced disappearance of Deen Mohammad by Pakistani forces from Balochistan’s Khuzdar district on June 28, 2009, Ireland-based rights group Front Line Defenders noted that what began as a family’s search for a missing father ultimately evolved into one of Pakistan’s most prominent movements against enforced disappearances.

“Enforced disappearance has been used as a tool of repression in Balochistan for many years, and the families who campaign for the disappeared, many of them women: mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters, are themselves frequently targeted in reprisal. Sammi Deen Baloch has faced several raids on her home and was subjected to surveillance and online defamation, as well as repeated arbitrary arrests, in reprisal for her peaceful human rights works,” the rights body stated.

Front Line Defenders called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately disclose the fate and whereabouts of Deen Mohammad and ensure his safe release. It also urged the authorities to cease all forms of harassment, surveillance, and reprisal against Sammi Deen and the families of the disappeared.

Expressing grave concern over the continued disappearance of Deen Mohammad, Amnesty International said, “Today marks 17 years since the enforced disappearance of Deen Mohammad Baloch, who was taken from his place of work, Khuzdar Civil Hospital, on 28 June 2009. Despite repeated petitions to the courts, appeals to authorities, and tireless advocacy by his family, his whereabouts remain unknown.”

Meanwhile, the BNM staged a protest in the United Kingdom and South Korea against the abduction of Deen Mohammad by the Pakistan army and his continued enforced disappearance over the past 17 years.

According to the BNM, the demonstration outside 10 Downing Street in London aimed to draw the attention of the UK government, the United Nations, international human rights organisations, and the broader global community to the deteriorating socio-political situation in “occupied” Balochistan.

Addressing the gathering, speakers condemned the 17-year-long enforced disappearance, “unlawful imprisonment, and continuous torture” of Deen Mohammad by Pakistani authorities, describing it as a “gross human rights violation.”

“They emphasised that enforced disappearances have now become a formalised state policy in occupied Balochistan, operating in blatant defiance of international law. Thousands of Baloch families have been devastated by this practice, with the relatives of political activists increasingly targeted in retaliatory actions,” the BNM stated.

Stating that its central leader, Deen Mohammad, has remained in the “torture cells” of the Pakistan Army for the last 17 years, the BNM activists in South Korea demanded the accountability of Pakistani authorities and appealed to the international community for support and cooperation for the “freedom of Balochistan”.

“Highlighting the issue of enforced disappearances in occupied Balochistan, the participants stated that the international community must pay attention to the pain and agony of the affected families,” the BNM stated.

During the demonstration, the speakers also condmened the life sentences handed down to BYC leader Mahrang Baloch, Sibghatullah Baloch, and BSO Chairman Balach Qadir through “faceless trials”, alleging that Pakistan had stripped the Baloch people of their fundamental rights.

–IANS

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