Pakistani : Twelve human rights advocates and campaigners are acquitted by a court in a “politically motivated trial.”

Pakistani : Human rights organization Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) Deputy Organiser Lala Abdul Wahab Baloch and eleven other activists were cleared by a Pakistani court after a “prolonged and politically motivated trial,” according to the BYC.

The BYC reported on Monday that the prosecution was unable to provide evidence to support the accusations, thus Karachi City Court Civil Judge and Judicial Magistrate Naim Akhtar ordered the acquittal. Sarfraz Baloch, Zain Baloch, Aftab Baloch, Qazi Amanullah, Murad Baloch, Waheed Baloch, Ahmed Nisar, Ehsan Hameed, Sajid Baloch, Aamir Baloch, and Ahsan Faraz Baloch are among those who were found not guilty.

The BYC claimed that a number of other BYC officials, including Mahrang Baloch, the group’s primary organizer, are still behind bars in spite of the acquittal in the same case.

According to the BYC, “the judiciary continues to exercise its authority in a manner that keeps these leaders detained, raising serious concerns about justice, prolonged incarceration, and the use of legal processes to suppress political dissent.”

The case, which was filed under the Pakistan Penal Code on January 18, 2025, has been pending trial for over a year, according to the rights agency. According to the court, all of the accused were “granted an honorable acquittal” after concluding that the accusations were “unsubstantiated.”

The arrests resulted from protests that the Baloch Yakjehti Committee had called for on January 25, 2025, which was designated as “Baloch Genocide Day.”The BYC said that protests took place in Lyari and Sharafi Goth, Malir, as well as in Balochistan and Karachi.

The BYC claimed that its leaders, women, and activists were allegedly abused during the crackdown and imprisoned on allegedly false charges.

The BYC said last week that a slew of bail rulings from various Balochistani courts highlight the “baseless, fabricated, and politically motivated nature of the cases” brought by the Pakistani government against its nonviolent leadership.

The BYC claims that for the last ten months, Mahrang Baloch and the other leaders—Beebarg Baloch, Shahji Baloch, Gulzadi Baloch, and Beebow Baloch—have been illegally incarcerated.

According to the rights group, the BYC leaders were first detained for three months under the Maintenance of Public Order (3-MPO) statute, which permits “preventative detention” in response to the government’s evaluation of “potential threats to public order.” However, the BYC said that their custody was prolonged due to “politically motivated FIRs.”

The BYC claimed that frequent remands, willful delays in filing investigative results, and systemic procedural obstruction had extended their detention even though these cases are bailable.