NEWS CENTER – The Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) staged a protest condemning the abduction and arbitrary arrest of Baloch women.

 

The Free Balochistan Movement (FBM) held a demonstration in Manchester, the UK, to protest the abduction and arbitrary arrest of Baloch women. Speakers at the protest included Geoff Brown from the Socialist Workers Party, Markus West from the We Demand the Change movement, as well as Raji Baloch and Nobat Marri. Many people attended the protest, carrying photographs of women who have been forcibly disappeared.

 

During the demonstration, FBM issued a statement drawing attention to the intensification of state repression against Baloch women in recent months. The statement noted that women have been abducted from their homes and forcibly disappeared. It emphasized that Pakistan and Iran are attempting to suppress the resistance of the Baloch people, and that the recent increase in repression targeting Baloch women is a direct result of these policies.

 

INCREASED REPRESSION AFTER INDEPENDENCE DEMANDS 

 

The statement recalled the events known as “Bloody Friday,” when Iranian security forces opened fire on protesters following Friday prayers in 2022, during demonstrations against the killing of Jîna Emînî and the rape of 14-year-old Maho Baloch by police, leaving at least 80 people dead. It also underlined that repression has intensified in Pakistan following growing calls for Balochistan’s independence. According to the statement, after public support for the independence movement increased, many women, including an eight-months pregnant woman, were abducted, and no information has been obtained about their fate.

 

The statement concluded by stressing the importance of international solidarity and called on the people of the UK to put pressure on their government to act against the repression directed at the Baloch people.