Pakistan: Inclusion of Baloch activists on terrorist watchlist an affront to human rights
Responding to the arbitrary inclusion of 32 individuals, including Baloch activists, as “proscribed persons” under section 11-EE of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997, which places severe limits and undue restrictions on their human rights, Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said:
“The arbitrary manner in which these individuals, including peaceful Baloch activists, have been put on a terrorist watchlist without being given an opportunity to challenge the decision is an affront to due process and their rights to liberty, privacy and freedom of movement.
“Amnesty International has long raised concerns about the anti-terrorism law in Pakistan as it doesn’t comply with international human rights standards, grants broad powers to detain and proscribe individuals who are merely exercising their human rights, and fails to ensure fair trial guarantees. The law has systematically been weaponized and used to target dissent inside the country and crack down on critical voices.”
