Karima Baloch
Karima Baloch | |
|---|---|
| کریمه بلۏچ | |
2016 screenshot of Karima Baloch | |
| Born | Karima Mehrab 8 March 1983 Tump, Kech District, Balochistan, Pakistan |
| Died | 20/ (aged 37) |
| Cause of death | Drowning |
| Burial place | Tump, Kech District, Balochistan, Pakistan 26°05′54″N 62°21′54″E / 26.0983°N 62.3649°E |
| Occupation | Human rights activist |
| Years active | 2005–2020 |
| Organization | Baloch Students Organization (BSO) |
| Known for | Advocacy for Baloch rights, criticism of the Pakistani government |
| Spouse | Hammal Haider |
| Relatives | Sameer Mehrab (brother), Mahganj Baloch (sister) |
| Awards | BBC 100 Women (2016) |
Karima Baloch (Balochi: کریمه بلۏچ; 8 March 1983 – 20/22 December 2020), also known as Karima Mehrab (کریمہ محراب), was a Baloch human rights activist from Balochistan, Pakistan. She was the first female chairperson of the Baloch Students Organization (BSO). She was included in the 100 Women List by the BBC in 2016, where she was identified as a political activist campaigning for the "independence for Balochistan from Pakistan."
In 2015, Karima fled Pakistan and took refuge in Canada after fearing for her life for speaking out against enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings allegedly carried out by the Pakistani military. On 22 December 2020, her dead body was found submerged at Toronto's waterfront under circumstances that were described as suspicious by her family, as well as several politicians and activists including the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), who claimed she was murdered by the Pakistani state. Despite Canadian authorities ruling her death as "non-criminal," her death raised significant concerns and demands for further investigation.