Baloch group protests in Netherlands to highlight widespread human rights abuses in Balochistan

Amsterdam, Sep 1 (AHN) The Baloch National Movement (BNM) staged a protest in the Netherlands’ Utrecht city, drawing international attention to the ongoing abuses by Pakistani forces in Balochistan, including the enforced disappearance of thousands of people, extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations.

The demonstration held on Monday to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances brought together several political activists, who expressed solidarity with the victims of enforced disappearances and their families.

The International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances is observed every year on August 30, a UN-designated day established in 2011 to raise global awareness of this grave human rights violation and to honour the victims and their families.

According to the BNM, the protesters held photographs of forcibly disappeared persons and carried banners and placards, while demanding justice and calling for an immediate end to enforced disappearances in Balochistan.

Addressing the gathering, the speakers highlighted the “profound and devastating” impact of enforced disappearances on Baloch society, saying hardly any family in Balochistan has remained untouched by the trauma of enforced disappearance.

“Across Balochistan, families have endured prolonged anguish and uncertainty following the abduction and disappearance of their loved ones. In many cases, families are given no information about the whereabouts, condition or fate of their relatives, deepening their suffering and leaving them in a state of unbearable uncertainty,” the BNM stated.

Stressing that enforced disappearances have become one of the most visible manifestations of the ongoing human rights crisis in Balochistan, the speakers said, "People from various sections of society—including political and social activists, students, teachers, journalists, lawyers, writers, human rights defenders and ordinary civilians—have been affected by this practice.”

Expressing grave concern, they further stated that enforced disappearances constitute part of an “ongoing process of genocide” by Pakistani forces against the people in Balochistan.

“The continued enforced disappearance of thousands of people, extrajudicial killings and other serious human rights violations have created an atmosphere of fear, insecurity and uncertainty across Balochistan,” the BNM stated.

The group called for the immediate disclosure of the whereabouts, condition and fate of all forcibly disappeared persons to their families. It demanded an immediate end to enforced disappearances, independent and transparent investigations into reported human rights violations, and accountability for those responsible.