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URGENT APPEAL: By Amnesty International (AI)
PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 33/028/2006
20 July 2006
UA 199/06 Possible 'disappearance'/fear of torture
PAKISTAN Obaidullah Ali Baloch (m), aged 26
Samiullah Baloch (m), aged 24, his brother
Brothers Obaidullah and Samiullah Baloch were arrested by unidentified men on 16 July 2006 in the Askari area of
Quetta, Balochistan province. They have not been seen since then. They may have 'disappeared' and are at risk of
torture.
In the afternoon of 16 July the two brothers were returning in a car from Quetta airport, where they are working on a
government-funded construction project. When they noticed two jeeps following them, they sought protection from
military and civil police at a checkpoint. However, the police refused to protect them. The brothers were forced to
stop their vehicle, and the unidentified men, thought to be intelligence agents, arrested Obaidullah and Samiullah
Baloch and forced them to get into separate jeeps. They were then driven away in the direction of a nearby military
headquarters.
The family of Obaidullah and Samiullah Baloch believe that they were arrested in connection with the activities of
their elder brother Sanaullah Baloch, who is a Senator and information secretary of the Balochistan National Party.
He has recently been visiting other countries and discussing human rights violations in Balochistan. Neither
Obaidullah nor Samiullah Baloch is involved in politics; nor had they previously been threatened.
The family are preparing to file a habeas corpus petition in the Quetta Court challenging the lawfulness of their
arrest and seeking to establish their whereabouts. Senator Sanaullah Baloch described the arrest as "political
victimisation" of innocent people, saying, "If the government has to settle political scores with me, I should be taken
in, not my innocent brothers who have no link to my political struggle."
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A report issued by the non-governmental organization, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in late
January 2006 found scores of cases of arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, extra judicial executions,
"disappearances" and use of excessive force by security and intelligence forces committed in Balochistan since
early 2005. The findings of the HRCP fact-finding mission corroborate a large number of reports received by
Amnesty International from Baloch activists and civil society organisations since early 2005. Amnesty International
has issued several urgent actions expressing its concern about arbitrary arrests and "disappearances" of political
activists. According to a January 2006 statement by Senator Sanaullah Baloch, at least 180 people have died in
bombings, 122 children have been killed by paramilitary troops and hundreds of people have been arrested since
the beginning of the campaign in early 2005. On 8 December 2005, the federal Interior Minister stated that some
4,000 people had been arrested in Balochistan since the beginning of 2005. The identities, whereabouts of and
charges against many of these detainees remain unknown. Having monitored some of these cases of arrest,
detention and "disappearance", Amnesty International believes that some of the detainees may have been arbitrarily
detained. Some of those who were found, have been subsequently held under preventive detention legislation or on
politically motivated criminal charges, in violation of Pakistan statutory law and international human rights standards.
A number of members of the Baloch Students Organisation (a group which campaigns on behalf of the people of
Balochistan) who had previously 'disappeared' were recently released from detention. They stated that they had
been tortured in detention including having their feet shackled, heads covered and use of electric shocks.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English or your own language:
- expressing concern for the safety of Obaidullah and Samiullah Baloch who were reportedly arrested by intelligence
personnel on 16 July 2006;
- urging the authorities to launch an immediate investigation into the whereabouts of the two brothers;
- reminding the government that incommunicado detention is a violation of an individual's fundamental rights
underlined by Articles 9 & 10 of the Pakistan Constitution;
- seeking assurances that they are not being subjected to torture or ill-treatment if they are in detention;
- calling for them to be granted access to their families, lawyers, and any medical attention they may require;
- calling for them to be released if they are in custody, unless they are charged with a recognizably criminal offence,
in which case they must be given a fair and prompt trial.
APPEALS TO:
(Please note that email addresses in Pakistan can be unreliable. If you receive notification that your message has
not been delivered, please re-send your email. If it fails again, please use fax numbers or postal addresses to send
your appeal.)
President Pervez Musharraf
Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: + 92 51 9221422
E-mail:
Salutation: Dear President
Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar
Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights
S Block, Pak. Sectt. Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: + 92 51 9202628
E-Mail:
Salutation: Dear Minister
Governor of Balochistan
Awais Ghani
Governor House
Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
Fax: + 92 81 920 2178 / 2992
Salutation: Dear Governor
COPIES TO: diplomatic representatives of Pakistan accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending
appeals after 31 August 2006.
PUBLIC AI Index: ASA 33/028/2006
20 July 2006
UA 199/06 Possible 'disappearance'/fear of torture
PAKISTAN Obaidullah Ali Baloch (m), aged 26
Samiullah Baloch (m), aged 24, his brother
Brothers Obaidullah and Samiullah Baloch were arrested by unidentified men on 16 July 2006 in the Askari area of
Quetta, Balochistan province. They have not been seen since then. They may have 'disappeared' and are at risk of
torture.
In the afternoon of 16 July the two brothers were returning in a car from Quetta airport, where they are working on a
government-funded construction project. When they noticed two jeeps following them, they sought protection from
military and civil police at a checkpoint. However, the police refused to protect them. The brothers were forced to
stop their vehicle, and the unidentified men, thought to be intelligence agents, arrested Obaidullah and Samiullah
Baloch and forced them to get into separate jeeps. They were then driven away in the direction of a nearby military
headquarters.
The family of Obaidullah and Samiullah Baloch believe that they were arrested in connection with the activities of
their elder brother Sanaullah Baloch, who is a Senator and information secretary of the Balochistan National Party.
He has recently been visiting other countries and discussing human rights violations in Balochistan. Neither
Obaidullah nor Samiullah Baloch is involved in politics; nor had they previously been threatened.
The family are preparing to file a habeas corpus petition in the Quetta Court challenging the lawfulness of their
arrest and seeking to establish their whereabouts. Senator Sanaullah Baloch described the arrest as "political
victimisation" of innocent people, saying, "If the government has to settle political scores with me, I should be taken
in, not my innocent brothers who have no link to my political struggle."
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
A report issued by the non-governmental organization, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in late
January 2006 found scores of cases of arbitrary arrests and detention, torture, extra judicial executions,
"disappearances" and use of excessive force by security and intelligence forces committed in Balochistan since
early 2005. The findings of the HRCP fact-finding mission corroborate a large number of reports received by
Amnesty International from Baloch activists and civil society organisations since early 2005. Amnesty International
has issued several urgent actions expressing its concern about arbitrary arrests and "disappearances" of political
activists. According to a January 2006 statement by Senator Sanaullah Baloch, at least 180 people have died in
bombings, 122 children have been killed by paramilitary troops and hundreds of people have been arrested since
the beginning of the campaign in early 2005. On 8 December 2005, the federal Interior Minister stated that some
4,000 people had been arrested in Balochistan since the beginning of 2005. The identities, whereabouts of and
charges against many of these detainees remain unknown. Having monitored some of these cases of arrest,
detention and "disappearance", Amnesty International believes that some of the detainees may have been arbitrarily
detained. Some of those who were found, have been subsequently held under preventive detention legislation or on
politically motivated criminal charges, in violation of Pakistan statutory law and international human rights standards.
A number of members of the Baloch Students Organisation (a group which campaigns on behalf of the people of
Balochistan) who had previously 'disappeared' were recently released from detention. They stated that they had
been tortured in detention including having their feet shackled, heads covered and use of electric shocks.
RECOMMENDED ACTION: Please send appeals to arrive as quickly as possible, in English or your own language:
- expressing concern for the safety of Obaidullah and Samiullah Baloch who were reportedly arrested by intelligence
personnel on 16 July 2006;
- urging the authorities to launch an immediate investigation into the whereabouts of the two brothers;
- reminding the government that incommunicado detention is a violation of an individual's fundamental rights
underlined by Articles 9 & 10 of the Pakistan Constitution;
- seeking assurances that they are not being subjected to torture or ill-treatment if they are in detention;
- calling for them to be granted access to their families, lawyers, and any medical attention they may require;
- calling for them to be released if they are in custody, unless they are charged with a recognizably criminal offence,
in which case they must be given a fair and prompt trial.
APPEALS TO:
(Please note that email addresses in Pakistan can be unreliable. If you receive notification that your message has
not been delivered, please re-send your email. If it fails again, please use fax numbers or postal addresses to send
your appeal.)
President Pervez Musharraf
Pakistan Secretariat
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: + 92 51 9221422
E-mail:
Salutation: Dear President
Mr. Muhammad Wasi Zafar
Minister of Law, Justice and Human Rights
S Block, Pak. Sectt. Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: + 92 51 9202628
E-Mail:
Salutation: Dear Minister
Governor of Balochistan
Awais Ghani
Governor House
Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
Fax: + 92 81 920 2178 / 2992
Salutation: Dear Governor
COPIES TO: diplomatic representatives of Pakistan accredited to your country.
PLEASE SEND APPEALS IMMEDIATELY. Check with the International Secretariat, or your section office, if sending
appeals after 31 August 2006.
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