Karima Mehrab, a refugee from the Balochistan region of western Pakistan who was also known as Karima Baloch, went missing on Toronto’s waterfront on Sunday. Police said her body was found on Monday.
Mehrab was a prominent student organizer who campaigned for the secession of Balochistan from Pakistan and later fled to Canada under threat. She was named one of the BBC’s 100 Inspiring and Influential Women of 2016.
Toronto police gave few details about her death. Mike Butt, a homicide detective, said by phone, “It is considered a non-criminal incident.”
Amnesty International South Asia tweeted that her death was shocking and should be “effectively investigated”, while the Balochistan Human Rights Council called on the Canadian government to investigate the matter.
Earlier this year, Sajid Hussain, a journalist and activist from Balochistan living in exile in Sweden, was found drowned there, according to media reports.