Human Rights Watch has urged Bangladesh to end prolonged pretrial detention of politicians and others linked to the former Awami League government….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Human Rights Watch has called on Bangladesh authorities to take immediate steps to end the prolonged pretrial detention of politicians and others linked to the deposed Awami League government.
The rights organisation said hundreds of people remain in prison without being charged with crimes after thousands of Awami League officials, activists and supporters were detained following the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024 after weeks of protests.
Human Rights Watch said some officials may have been involved in serious rights violations under Hasina’s government, but alleged that many others were arrested without apparent evidence on accusations of murdering protesters.
Families and lawyers have told the organisation that several detainees, including older people and those with serious health conditions, have been denied basic rights such as bail and adequate medical care.
At least 10 Awami League office holders, most of whom were not charged with any crime, have died in prison since Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took office in February 2026, Human Rights Watch said.
“Under one government after another, hundreds of opposition members have been locked up without evidence or due process,” said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“The government of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has pledged reform, and as a first step, he should end the prolonged arbitrary detention of political opponents.”
The organisation also criticised a proposed National Human Rights Commission bill, saying that if adopted in its current form, it would prevent the commission from investigating alleged arbitrary arrests.
Those detained without charge include former Awami League members of parliament, former lawmakers who supported Hasina’s administration, activists, officials and journalists who backed the former government. Others, including members of the security forces, face allegations involving extrajudicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances, while some are accused of corruption.
Human Rights Watch said prosecutors had repeatedly sought to block bail in cases where evidence had not been produced. It also alleged that lower courts had consistently rejected bail applications and that High Court bail orders had been circumvented through the filing of fresh cases.
The organisation cited the case of former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque, 82, who was arrested in July 2025 over an alleged murder. He was subsequently arrested in four further cases, including corruption allegations.
Although the High Court granted bail in several cases, police repeatedly filed new cases before his release. Human Rights Watch said Haque was finally released on August 19 after intervention by the Appellate Division, despite not having been charged with any offence during the period.
Lawyers representing other detainees told the organisation they now advise clients not to seek bail because police may file fresh cases if they are successful.
The International Crimes Tribunal, which prosecutes international crimes in Bangladesh, allows detention without charge beyond one year only in “exceptional circumstances” that must be set out in writing. Human Rights Watch said more than 160 people detained by the tribunal had not been granted bail.
Among them is former Hasina adviser Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, 81, who has spent 22 months in custody without charge. Former parliamentarian Kamal Ahmed Majumder, 75, has also been detained for 22 months, while his family said he suffered gangrene that resulted in the amputation of three toes and later broke his hip.
Human Rights Watch also raised concerns over the medical treatment of detainees, citing several elderly prisoners with chronic illnesses and serious health conditions.
Former Awami League lawmaker Ramesh Chandra Sen, 85, died in detention on February 7, 2026, after being held in connection with murder and explosives cases. His family said he had been denied proper medication and bail.
The organisation said international human rights law allows pretrial detention in some circumstances, but that it should remain an exception and be assessed individually.
“A justice system that lets older people die in custody before they are ever charged is not treating pretrial detention as the exceptional measure it always should be,” Pearson said.
She called for independent inquiries into prison deaths and urged the government to stop prolonged detention without charge.
