Human Rights Watch has urged Bangladesh to release or charge hundreds of political detainees, warning prolonged custody without due process is putting lives at risk…reports India Daily News Deskc
Human Rights Watch has urged Bangladesh to end the prolonged pretrial detention of politicians, activists and others linked to the country’s former Awami League government, warning that hundreds of people remain in custody without being charged with a crime.
The international rights organisation said on Monday that Bangladeshi authorities should immediately review the cases of those detained following the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
Thousands of Awami League officials, activists and supporters were arrested after weeks of protests forced Hasina to step down. Human Rights Watch said that while some former officials may have been involved in serious rights violations committed during Hasina’s rule, many others were arrested on allegations of murdering protesters without apparent evidence.
The organisation said detainees and their families have reported being denied basic legal rights, including bail and adequate medical care. It also raised concerns about the detention of older people and those suffering from serious health conditions.
At least 10 Awami League office holders, most of whom had not been charged with a crime, have died in prison since Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took office in February 2026, according to Human Rights Watch.
“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.”
Human Rights Watch also criticised a proposed National Human Rights Commission bill, saying that if adopted in its current form it would prevent the new 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 previous government.
Others, including members of the security forces, face allegations of serious international crimes such as extrajudicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances. Some detainees are also accused of corruption, the organisation said.
According to Human Rights Watch, prosecutors have repeatedly opposed bail applications even when evidence has not been produced. Lower courts have rejected bail, while High Court orders granting bail have in some cases been followed by the filing of fresh cases, preventing detainees from being released.
One case cited by the organisation involves ABM Khairul Haque, 82, a former chief justice who was arrested in July 2025 over an allegation that he murdered a protester.
Over the following months, he was arrested in four additional cases, including corruption allegations. His family told Human Rights Watch that he was in poor health and suffered a heart attack while in prison.
Although the High Court granted bail in his cases, police repeatedly filed new charges. In one instance, Haque was accused of being present at a murder scene despite the location being more than 10 kilometres from the scene of another alleged murder against him at the same time.
After further legal proceedings and another bail order, police filed yet another case. Human Rights Watch said Haque was eventually released on August 19 following intervention by the Appellate Division, despite having never been formally charged with an offence during the period described.
Lawyers representing other detainees told the organisation that they have begun advising clients against seeking bail because they fear new cases will simply be filed if bail is granted.
Human Rights Watch also highlighted the situation at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, which prosecutes international crimes.
The tribunal permits detention without charge beyond one year only in “exceptional circumstances” that must be set out in writing. However, the organisation said it had not released any of the more than 160 people it has detained on bail, and detainees have no right to appeal bail refusals.
Among them is Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, 81, a former adviser to Hasina. He was detained by the tribunal in October 2024 and has spent 22 months in custody without charge. Human Rights Watch said his bail application in April was neither granted nor accompanied by a written explanation of exceptional circumstances.
Another former parliament member, Kamal Ahmed Majumder, 75, has also spent 22 months in detention. His family told Human Rights Watch that he developed gangrene in his foot, resulting in the amputation of three toes, and later broke his hip in a fall. The tribunal rejected his bail application in July.
Concerns have also been raised about the health of other detainees, including Shahriar Kabir, 75, who suffers from chronic illnesses and requires a wheelchair, and RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury, 71, who has spent 22 months in custody without charge and has serious heart problems.
Human Rights Watch also pointed to deaths in custody. Ramesh Chandra Sen, 85, a former Awami League lawmaker, remained detained until his death on February 7, 2026. His family said he had been denied proper medication and bail.
SM Ziaul Haque Zia, 65, a Jamalpur district Awami League member, was detained in January while already in poor health and died in April after his family said he was denied bail.
International human rights law allows pretrial detention in certain circumstances, but Human Rights Watch said it should be an exception rather than the norm. Each case should be assessed individually by a judge, with detainees entitled to a speedy trial or release.
“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 investigations into deaths in custody and urged the Bangladeshi government to stop prolonged detention without charge.
