Hidden in the Shadows: Human Rights Violations Against the Baloch in Iran and Pakistan
SOAS, University of London | 30 July 2025
As we conclude this important seminar, “Hidden in the Shadows: Human Rights Violations Against the Baloch in Iran and Pakistan,” we acknowledge the powerful testimonies, research findings, and expert insights shared during the event.
What we have heard and discussed makes one thing unmistakably clear: the Baloch people, across both Iran and Pakistan, continue to face systematic and state-sanctioned violence. From extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances to the arbitrary detention of activists, students, and families, these violations are not isolated incidents but part of a broader pattern of repression, clearly in violation of domestic and international law, that demands urgent international attention.
We commend the courageous efforts of survivors, family members, and organisations such as the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), who continue to challenge these human rights violations at great personal risk.
This seminar has highlighted the urgent need for:
- Independent international investigations into systematic human rights abuses, particularly extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances, committed against the Baloch.
- Identification and accountability of perpetrators of grave human rights violations.
- Increased global attention and media coverage to break the silence surrounding Balochistan.
- Protection and support for civil society actors, human rights defenders, and journalists working under extreme risk in these regions, many of whom have faced harassment, arrest, or violence.
We urge the international community, including the United Nations, human rights organisations, and governments, to take immediate and concrete actions to safeguard the rights and lives of the Baloch people.
