QUETTA: A The Balochistan High Court (BHC) refused on Tuesday to rule on the detention of activist Mahrang Baloch, a decision her lawyers said will delay her case and keep her behind bars.
The 32-year-old was placed under administrative detention by the Balochistan government on March 22, accused of terrorism, sedition, and murder after leading a protest.
The Balochistan High Court refused to hear an appeal against her detention, instead referring her case to the provincial government, according to Baloch’s defence team.
“They closed all doors for us to appeal and directed us to the government instead,” her lawyer Kamran Murtaza told AFP, calling it a “refusal of justice”.
Imaan Mazari, a second lawyer, called it a “complete abdication of responsibility” by the justice system, which has “put her at the mercy of the same administration that detained her”.
Baloch will now remain under administrative detention, a 30-day period renewable three times under law.
The UN has expressed “concern” for the trainee surgeon, who was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 rising leaders of 2024.
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