Rights group launches social media campaign for 'forcibly disappeared' Diljan Baloch
Sep 12, 2024
Quetta [Pakistan], September 12 : Amid ongoing enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, Baloch Voice for Justice, a rights group advocating for Baloch people, has launched a social media campaign demanding the recovery of Diljan Baloch.
According to The Balochistan Post, Diljan Baloch allegedly forcibly disappeared from Awaran on June 12, 2024.
The campaign is scheduled to run on X on September 13, 2024, from 8:00 pm to midnight. Participants are encouraged to raise awareness about his disappearance using the hashtag #ReleaseDiljanBaloch.
https://x.com/BalochV4Justice/status/1834132460897968531
The report further states that Diljan Baloch, son of Allah Baksh, was forcefully detained by Pakistani armed forces in the Teertage area of Awaran on June 12. Since then, his family has had no information about his whereabouts.
In another report released by the local media outlet Balochwarna, it was noted that Farzana Rodeni, the sister of Saifullah Rodeni--a police constable from Surab--was also forcibly disappeared on November 22, 2013. She has called for the immediate recovery of her brother, who was abducted while travelling for duty from Surab to Khuzdar.
Earlier, a report by Paank highlighted 35 cases of enforced disappearances, three extrajudicial killings, and 13 instances of extrajudicial torture. The report describes a brutal pattern of violence by Pakistani armed forces, including torture and the abduction of young men, whose bodies are often discarded in public as a form of intimidation.
Farzana Rodeni also criticised the Balochistan police for their inaction regarding her brother's case. Instead of pursuing his recovery, the police suspended him from his job and withheld his salary, further exacerbating the family's financial difficulties.
Balochistan, a region in southwestern Pakistan, has been deeply affected by the practice of enforced disappearances. Human rights organizations and local activists report that individuals, including journalists, activists, and political dissenters, are often abducted by security forces or other actors. These abductions are used as tools of intimidation and repression, aimed at silencing dissent and stifling calls for greater autonomy or independence.
