HRW calls for end to arbitrary pretrial detention of political opponents in Bangladesh

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on the Bangladesh government to end prolonged pretrial detention of politicians and others linked to the ousted Awami League government, saying hundreds remain in prison without being charged with any crime.

In a statement issued yesterday (23 August), the rights organisation also called for independent investigations into deaths in custody, respect for the presumption of innocence and greater protection of detainees' fair trial rights.

HRW said police detained thousands of Awami League officials, activists and supporters after Sheikh Hasina stepped down as prime minister in August 2024 following weeks of protests.

While some officials may have been involved in serious rights violations during her government, many others were arrested on allegations of murdering protesters without apparent evidence, it 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 HRW.

"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."

Detainees denied bail, medical care

According to HRW, at least 10 Awami League office holders, most of whom had not been charged with any crime, have died in prison since Prime Minister Tarique Rahman took office in February 2026.

Families and lawyers of detainees, many of them older people or suffering from health conditions, have alleged that they were denied bail and adequate medical care.

HRW said prosecutors had repeatedly sought to deny bail in cases where no evidence had been produced.

It also alleged that lower courts had consistently refused bail, while High Court bail orders had been circumvented by authorities filing fresh cases.

The organisation cited the case of ABM Khairul Haque, 82, a former chief justice who was arrested on 24 July 2025 over an allegation of murdering a protester. He was subsequently arrested in four more cases, including corruption charges.

Although the High Court granted bail in the cases, police repeatedly filed new cases before he could be released, HRW said. In one instance, police alleged that Khairul was at the scene of a murder at the same time as another alleged murder, despite the two locations being more than 10km apart.

Haque was finally released on 19 August following intervention by the Appellate Division. HRW said he had not been charged with any offence during the period.

Lawyers for other detainees told the organisation that they now advise their clients not to seek bail because police may file new cases if they succeed in securing release.

HRW also raised concerns about detention without charge by the International Crimes Tribunal. It said the tribunal had detained more than 160 people and had not granted bail to any of them.

Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, 81, a former adviser to Hasina, has spent 22 months in custody without charge, according to HRW.

The organisation said the tribunal neither granted him bail nor set out the "exceptional circumstances" required for detention beyond one year.

Former lawmaker Kamal Ahmed Majumder, 75, has also spent 22 months in detention, HRW said.

His family told the organisation that he developed gangrene requiring the amputation of three toes and later broke his hip after falling in prison. The tribunal rejected his bail application in July.

Concerns over deaths in custody

HRW said families had also raised concerns about inadequate medical care for several detainees.

Former Awami League lawmaker Ramesh Chandra Sen, 85, died in detention on 7 February 2026 after being arrested in August 2024 in three murder cases and an explosives case. His family said he had been denied proper medication and bail.

Similarly, SM Ziaul Haque Zia, 65, a Jamalpur district Awami League member, died on 14 April after being detained on 6 January. His family said he had been in poor health and was denied bail.

"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 urged the government to order independent inquiries into all prison deaths and stop arbitrarily detaining people for prolonged periods without charge.