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HRCB Condemns Secret and “Faceless” Trials of Baloch Yakjehti Committee Leaders

HRCB

The Human Rights Council of Balochistan expresses grave concern over the systematic and unlawful treatment of detained leaders and members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) by the Pakistani authorities. This includes the manipulation of judicial procedures, the denial of due process, and the conduct of legal proceedings in secret and newly established “faceless courts.”

HRCB’s documentation indicates that the government’s campaign against the BYC detainees and its interference in judicial processes have been deliberate, coordinated, and systematic. These actions include the registration of fabricated criminal charges, official-level defamation campaigns, collective punishment targeting the families of activists, restrictions on legal representation, and direct interference in court proceedings.

In March 2025, the authorities arrested and detained several BYC leaders under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. The MPO is a preventive detention mechanism that allows authorities to detain individuals without filing criminal charges or obtaining prior judicial authorization. When the 90-day detention period expired in June 2025, the authorities neither released the detainees nor subjected their detention to the judicial review required under the law. Instead, they initiated new cases under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), effectively prolonging detention while disregarding legal safeguards and judicial procedures.

When the government subsequently failed to substantiate its allegations against the detainees in open court proceedings, including before the Balochistan High Court, hearings were transferred to Quetta’s Hudda Prison. Public access to the proceedings was severely restricted, and concerns were raised regarding limitations placed on legal counsel, family members, media representatives, and independent observers.

Since then, dozens of additional cases have reportedly been registered against BYC leaders across multiple police stations. This pattern appears designed to prolong detention indefinitely and obstruct any realistic prospect of acquittal or release.

According to information provided by the detainees’ families and legal representatives, the authorities are now seeking to expedite these proceedings through so-called “faceless courts.” If implemented, such proceedings would be conducted in secrecy, without meaningful access for lawyers, witnesses, family members, independent observers, or the public. Such practices fundamentally undermine the principles of transparency, accountability, and justice.

Conducting hearings inside prisons or through “faceless courts,” without the effective participation of defense lawyers, witnesses, family members, and public observers, is incompatible with the fundamental right to a fair trial. These measures isolate defendants from legal assistance, obstruct witness participation, and deny public scrutiny of proceedings that directly affect the liberty and rights of prominent human rights defenders.

Such practices are inconsistent with Pakistan’s constitutional and international legal obligations, including Article 10A of the Constitution of Pakistan, which guarantees the right to a fair trial and due process, and Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which guarantees the right to a fair and public hearing before an independent and impartial tribunal.

The government’s apparent misuse of legal mechanisms and its interference in judicial processes raise serious concerns regarding the independence of the judiciary and the integrity of these proceedings. The rights of BYC leaders and members to a fair and public trial must be fully respected, and transparency in all judicial proceedings must be ensured. 

The Human Rights Council of Balochistan urges the Government of Pakistan and all relevant authorities to:

  • Immediately end all secret, inaccessible, or prison-based court proceedings against detained BYC leaders and members.
  • Restore all hearings to open and publicly accessible courtrooms in accordance with domestic and international fair trial standards.
  • Ensure immediate, regular, and unrestricted access for lawyers, family members, and medical professionals to all detainees.
  • Guarantee the independence and impartiality of the judiciary, free from governmental, military, intelligence, or executive interference.
  • Conduct an independent, transparent, and credible investigation into allegations of torture, ill-treatment, and other abuses reportedly committed against detained BYC leaders and members, and hold those responsible accountable.

HRCB

Human Rights Council of Balochistan (Hakkpaan) is a non-profit and non-partisan human rights group based in Balochistan and Sweden. It collects reports from Balochistan, a region Pakistan government does not allow any media and HR group to visit and report. Human rights violations in Balochistan is not a new phenomenon, but it got its worst levels after the Military coup de tat of Pakistan in 1999. Thousands of Baloch have been reported missing, hundreds killed in fake encounters and so-called kill and dump policy of the military. HRCB collects the data from Balochistan itself, through its network of volunteers and supporters, organizes and reports them to the human rights mechanisms of the world.