International human rights organisation Amnesty International has condemned the life sentences handed to two Baloch activists by Pakistan's anti-terrorism court, calling the verdict "an affront to the right to a fair trial" and demanding their immediate release.

The Quetta Anti-Terrorism Court sentenced Mahrang Baloch and Sibghat Ullah Shah Jee to life imprisonment on charges of murder and terrorism following an "expedited secret trial" conducted on jail premises, Amnesty said in an article on Tuesday.

The verdict has sparked widespread criticism among human rights activists worldwide.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has also criticised the proceedings against the activists in a video statement posted on Instagram on Tuesday, calling it a "mockery" of justice.

Baloch and Shah Jee were jailed last year, over the killing of a security official at a rally in 2024.

Both of them are members of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC), a civil rights movement advocating for an end to alleged extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and economic injustice in Pakistan's Balochistan province.

"This verdict demonstrates how Pakistan's anti-terrorism laws are being cynically misused to silence peaceful dissent," said Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International's Acting Regional Director for South Asia.

However, Amnesty said no direct evidence was presented linking either activist to the alleged violence. The trial raised serious concerns over international fair trial standards and due process, the rights group said.

"Mahrang (Baloch) and Shah Jee boycotted the trial proceedings due to the persistent denial of their right to a fair trial and the alleged bias of the judge," the statement said.

A state-appointed defence counsel represented them in later stages without consulting them, it added.

The judgment implicated Baloch for participating in the assembly and delivering a speech in which she allegedly referred to state officials as "occupiers," without demonstrating whether mere speech meets the threshold for murder or terrorism charges, Amnesty 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," Lassee said.

At least three Baloch protesters were killed during the July 2024 protests, with no one yet charged for the killings, Amnesty noted.