The home of woman human rights defender Sammi Deen Baloch was raided by security forces, raising serious concern for her safety
On 28 June 2026 Pakistan security forces raided the home of woman human rights defender Sammi Deen Baloch in Karachi, Pakistan. Sammi Deen Baloch and her family were not home when the raid happened. The raid occured as the family commemorated the 17th anniversary of the enforced disappearance of her father. In addition, the growing targeting of Baloch human rights defenders, most recently evidenced by the life imprisonment sentences imposed on human rights defenders Mahrang Baloch and Sebghatullah Shahji, raises serious concerns regarding her safety and security.
Sammi Deen Baloch is a Baloch women human rights defender from Mashkai, Awaran District of Balochistan province, Pakistan. She is the General Secretary of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), a non-governmental organization that represents and supports victims and relatives of enforced disappearances in Balochistan. In June 2009, at the age of 10, Sammi’s father, Dr Deen Mohammed Baloch, was forcibly disappeared in Khuzdar, Balochistan. She began persistently campaigning for the release of her father, which further lead to her deeper, collective involvement in advocating against enforced disappearances in Balochistan by state forces.
Following the enforced disappearance of her father, Sammi together with her family attended court hearings, and campaigned relentlessly for his release. In October 2013, Sammi, along with family members of victims of enforced disappearances, organised a 3000km long walk from Quetta to Karachi, and onwards to Islamabad. She was moved by the struggles of families, mainly mothers, wives and sisters, who did not know whom to approach for support in fighting for their loved ones to return. Sammi has led campaigns and actions including marches, protests and sit ins; documented violations and cases of enforced disappearance; and assisted families with registering cases with relevant authorities. She has been a vocal advocate on women's and girls rights, the right to education and ongoing violations including killings, mass graves and the collective punishment of families.
Her human rights work is especially significant given the extremely dangerous context in Balochistan, the largest mineral and resource rich province of Pakistan. The province has seen repeated rounds of insurgency and violence since it was annexed to the state of Pakistan in 1947. The province experiences crippling poverty and systemic, deliberate exclusion and denial of basic services, including education and health. The recent two decade long insurgency has claimed thousands of lives, and sadly many youth. Pakistan, through its military and proxy agents, have silenced dissent by committing widespread violations, of which enforced disappearances are a key strategy, against many Baloch people.
In November 2023, Sammi was an important figure in the Baloch Long March, a campaign in response to the extra judicial killing of a Baloch youth in November 2023. The campaign began as a sit in protest in Turbat, followed by a march to Islamabad, garnering national and international attention to the plight of enforced disappearances. Protestors including Sammi were blocked from entering the capital, beaten and arrested by Pakistani security forces.
Sammi has also been vocal against the targeting of human rights defenders and families of the disappeared as reprisal for their peaceful campaigns for truth, redress and justice. Being a victim of this herself, she understands the experience of human rights defenders and dissidents who speak out against violations and discrimination and face violent reprisals including killings, disappearance, arrest, detention and torture. Surveillance is routine and many have experienced false legal cases and other forms of reprisals.
Sammi has faced persecution and reprisals including violence towards herself and family members. Since 2009, the military have raided her home several times, burned and seized valuables and even tried to abduct her brother. The family were forced to relocate to Karachi where her work continued, and threats against her escalated. In 2016, at 17 years old, she was forcibly disappeared by the Pakistani intelligence agency and held in detention in Quetta (the capital of Balochistan) for seven days, subjected to abuse and threats. She was warned to stop her work and advocacy on human rights and against enforced disappearances. In 2018 her home in the village was seized by the military and is still under their control without legal basis. Family members including uncles and cousins were arrested, tortured and even killed in custody as reprisal for her work. Her brother was compelled to leave Pakistan due to escalating threats. She suffers ongoing attacks on social media and defamation campaigns which attempt to tarnish her work, character and safety in Pakistan. She faces physical and digital surveillance of her movements and communications - in 2021 her phone was hacked, data and photographs leaked and shared widely in an attempt to discredit her work. She has been labelled as a terrorist by powerful figures via social media including parliamentarians and government ministers.
Despite being targeted and risking so much, Sammi remains undeterred, driven by her unwavering commitment to justice and the protection of human rights in Balochistan. Her work has enabled thousands of women and girls to stand up for their rights and has brought attention to the struggles of the Baloch people. It also demonstrates the persistence of her community’s struggle for rights and justice and builds hope for those who walk alongside her.
On 28 June 2026 Pakistan security forces raided the home of woman human rights defender Sammi Deen Baloch in Karachi, Pakistan. Sammi Deen Baloch and her family were not home when the raid happened. The raid occured as the family commemorated the 17th anniversary of the enforced disappearance of her father. In addition, the growing targeting of Baloch human rights defenders, most recently evidenced by the life imprisonment sentences imposed on human rights defenders Mahrang Baloch and Sebghatullah Shahji, raises serious concerns regarding her safety and security.
Sammi Deen Baloch is a prominent woman human rights defender and a key figure in the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), which advocates peacefully for human rights, accountability and the end to systemic violations in Pakistan, especially against the Baloch community. Sammi Deen Baloch is the daughter of Dr. Deen Mohommad Baloch, who was forcibly disappeared 17 years ago and whose fate and whereabouts have never been disclosed. From the age of 10 years, Sammi Deen Baloch has advocated for the return of her father, and grown to lead a movement that supports victims, families of the disappeared advocating for justice and redress. Sammi Deen Baloch is the recipient of the 2024 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at risk in Asia Pacific.
On 28 June 2026, security forces carried out a violent raid on the home of Sammi Deen Baloch in Karachi Pakistan. The woman human rights defender and her family were not present at the time of the raid. Authorities seized her computer, educational certificates, personal items including valuables, and the only photograph remaining of her father, Dr. Deen Mohommad Baloch. The raid occured as the family commemorated the 17th anniversary of his enforced disappearance. The raid followed repeated acts of harassment, including visits by security personnel, her criminalisation and her portrayal as anti-state for speaking out peacefully against human rights violations.
Sammi Deen Baloch has been targeted several times in the past, she was arrested in 2025, then subjected to enforced disappearance and later placed under Schedule 4 of the Anti-Terror Act. The latter, a legal watch list that contains the names of individuals suspected of terrorism, ultimately denies said individuals their basic fundamental rights. The harassment of Sammi Deen Baloch is part of a pattern of blatant abuse carried out by the authorities in Pakistan, including police and intelligence agencies, targeting human rights defenders. Rather than protecting human rights defenders, the authorities have resorted to their prosecution, carrying out collective punishment against communities, colleagues and family members. Peaceful protests, press conferences or any action reporting violations affecting human rights defenders or citizens are met with further violence.
Since March 2025, the leadership of the BYC have been arrested, subjected to raids and collective punishment. Mahrang Baloch, Sebghatullah Shahji, Beebow Baloch, Gulazadi Baloch, Beebarg Zehri, and fellow HRDs have been jailed on multiple criminal allegations, including under the regressive Anti-Terrorism Act and the Maintenance of Public Order Ordonnance. Family members have also been targeted including the fathers of Beebow Baloch and Sabiha Baloch who were detained for several months without clear legal basis. A large number of BYC leaders and members, including the ones named above have been placed under Schedule 4 of the ATA, without effective recourse to judicial oversight.
In the context of the growing targeting of Baloch human rights defenders, Front Line Defenders is extremely concerned for the security of Sammi Deen Baloch and other human right defenders. On 22 June 2026, an Anti-Terror Court in Balochistan convicted and sentenced Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Sebghatullah Shahji to life imprisonment for allegedly being involved in the killing of a security officer in 2024, ultimately lacking substantial legal grounds. The prosecution case rested solely on the allegations that speeches delivered during a protest incited a mob resulting in the death of a security officer. Subsequently, on 28 June 2026, human rights defender and committee member of the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement, Zubair Shah Agha, was arrested during a press conference. The latter was organised to protest against the sentence imposed on Dr. Mahrang Baloch and Sebghatullah Shahji. This harassment pattern is further demonstrate by the application of draconian laws, such as the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), to journalists denouncing human right violations.
Front Line Defenders strongly condemns the targeting of Sammi Deen Baloch and is extremely concerned for her safety. We believe that the house raid and her harassment are direct reprisals for her peaceful human rights work, which should be recognised and protected rather than persecuted. The treatment of Sammi Deen Baloch and human rights defenders in Pakistan glaringly contradicts the national and international commitments made by the authorities to respect and protect human rights.
Front Line Defenders call on the authorities in Pakistan to:
- Immediately cease the targeting of Sammi Deen Baloch and ensure her safety;
- Conduct a thorough, effective and impartial investigation into the raid on Sammi Deen Baloch’s home with a view towards holding those responsible accountable;
- Ensure that all items taken from Sammi Deen Baloch’s home during the raid are returned safely to the woman human rights defender and her family;
- Remove Sammi Deen Baloch from Schedule 4 of the Anti-Terrorism Act and cease all legal and police persecution of the woman human rights defender and her family;
- Release all human rights defenders arbitrarily incarcerated as a result for their human rights work, and quash all criminal cases against them.
- Ensure that all human rights defenders are able to work and live with safety and without threat of persecution or reprisal.
