Release Saeed Baloch Immediately: Demands Civil Society Organizations in Sri Lanka
Victim: Mr.
Saeed Baloch (52 years old)-elected Secretary General of a social
movement Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), elected Secretary General of
Fishermen's Cooperative Society (FCS), member of Human Rights of
Pakistan (HRCP) and a number of other national and international forums
that work for human rights, peoples movements, climate justice etc.
Perpetrators: Pakistan Rangers-the paramilitary forces, Karachi
Background: Mr.
Saeed Baloch is a veteran human rights activist and labour unionist. He
has been raising his voice for the deprived communities since 1980s. He
is also an elected Secretary General of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum that
is advocating for the social, political, economic and cultural rights of
fishing communities in Pakistan. Mr. Baloch at the same time is an
elected Secretary General of the workers' union at Fishermen's
Cooperative Society (FCS), Karachi.
Mr. Saeed
has been challenging/confronting a number of policies of the government
on many occasions and fighting for the human rights of fisher people
often transcends the right to fish. Besides, the FCS has remained very
controversial and notorious for corruption. Mr. Saeed has also been
raising his voice through the union against the corrupt
administration/management of FCS. He with his other union leaders also
approached the Chief Secretary Sindh and showed his concerns about the
mismanagement of the FCS. During the recent move of Pakistan Rangers
against the corruption and the facilitating role corrupt officials to
the terrorism, some high officials including the acting Chairman of FCS
have also been arrested by the Rangers.
Current Situation: Mr. Saeed was called over phone to visit the Rangers Office located at Maripur area of Karachi on Sunday the 17th January 2016 at about 4:30 pm.
He managed to inform us over phone that he had been taken into custody
of Rangers. Since then his cell no is not responding. We do not know
exactly as to under what charge he has been taken into custody.
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