June 23 (UPI) — Two human rights activists in Pakistan were sentenced to life in prison for allegedly inciting a mob in 2024 that attacked and killed a paramilitary soldier.

Mahrang Baloch and Sibghat Ullah Jee were convicted on murder and terrorism charges after prosecutors alleged that they were responsible for the soldier’s death, The BBC reported.

Baloch allegedly delivered a “very provocative speech” during the Baloch National Gathering in July 2024 to advocate against enforced disappearances, extrajudicial murder and economic injustice in the Balochistan province, Amnesty International said in a news release.

After the speech, 30 to 40 people allegedly attacked security forces near what prosecutors called an “illegal gathering,” separated Shabbir Ahmed from other soldiers and then beat him to death.

Mahrang, Shah Jee and four other members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee, the group responsible for the gathering, were arrested in March 2025, given lawyers that Amnesty International said did not consult with them.

“This verdict, which is an affront to the right to a fair trial, demonstrates how Pakistan’s anti-terrorism laws are being cynically misused to silence peaceful dissent,” Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s acting regional director for South Asia, said in a statement.

“No direct evidence was presented linking Mahrang and Shah Jee to the alleged violence,” Lassee said. “Mahrang and Shah Jee are being targeted solely for their human rights work. They should be immediately released, with all charges related to their activism dropped.”

Mahrang led a women on a 1,000-mile March to Islamabad, Pakistan, in 2023 as part of a protest against the disappearances and killings after her father was taken 15 years early, tortured and then killed.

The Court ruled that the two activists were involved “in the illegal gathering of the Baloch Unity Committee and had common objectives in the murder of the federal constabulary official,” ruling that they must pay roughly $700 each to Ahmeds family, in addition to spending life in jail.

Mahrang and Shah Jee boycotted the trial “due to the persistent denial of their right to a fair trial and the alleged bias of the judge,” Amnesty International said.

The organization also noted that at three Baloch protestors also were killed during the ensuing riot, but no charges have been filed related to those deaths.