Inside the prison walls: Khaleda Zia's final years in confinement

Khaleda Zia, Bangladesh's first female prime minister, passed away yesterday at the age of 80, leaving behind a complex legacy marked by political achievement and personal hardship. A towering figure in national politics, she led the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and served three terms as prime minister.

The final years of her life, however, were overshadowed by legal battles, imprisonment, and declining health, revealing the personal cost of her political struggles. In February 2018, Khaleda Zia was convicted in the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case, followed by the Charitable Trust case, which intensified her sentence. She was confined to a solitary cell in Old Dhaka Central Jail, separated from ordinary inmates.

BNP leaders repeatedly alleged she endured psychological stress, isolation, and inadequate medical care, while chronic illnesses including arthritis, diabetes, liver complications, and heart problems steadily worsened.

At a June 2018 press conference, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir described the jail conditions as appalling. "The Dhaka Central Jail is the worst. It houses such large rats. You'll be surprised to know that a cat caught a mouse in the room where Madam Zia resides," he said.

Journalists covering her trials recalled seeing her appear in court in a wheelchair, frail, exhausted, and with swollen hands. "She came fully prepared to go to prison. From that day onward, her health began to deteriorate," said Dhaka-based journalist Muktadir Rashid Romeo.

He added, "During the Charitable Trust trials, her hearings were held inside the jail. Jasad leaders said this was done out of a sense of revenge, as Ziaur Rahman had previously conducted trials for Jasad leaders inside prison; Khaleda Zia's trial followed the same pattern. As her condition worsened, her personal attendant Fatema stayed with her and became extremely unwell herself. Even then, we would speak to her in court and check on her. Covering the trials became increasingly difficult for us."

Kamran Reza Chowdhury, a Dhaka-based journalist who contributed to sketches of Khaleda Zia's prison life, said authorities barred the former prime minister from giving interviews during her time at Old Dhaka Central Jail. Based on interviews with experts, BNP officials, and members of the then-ruling Awami League, illustrator Rebel Pepper recreated scenes from her prison life, showing the isolation and restrictions she endured.

Inside prison, she lived in a small 10-by-8-foot room, once an office for jail officials. As a privileged inmate, she was allowed basic personal items, including a table, chairs, glass, plate, saucer, comb, toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, and shampoo. Her daily routine was simple: eating fruit for breakfast, reading a single newspaper, and watching only state-run TV channels. Physiotherapists and doctors attended to her regularly. "She normally took soup after waking up from bed. She liked papaya juice and other fruits," a jail official said.

Two female police guards escorted her to the special jail court for hearings, where she often refused to appear. When she did, she wore clean, neatly pressed clothes, accompanied by her lawyers and BNP leaders. On 1 April 2019, she was admitted to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital for treatment. Doctors confirmed her illnesses were not fully curable, and she would need to manage these chronic complications – challenges that ultimately contributed to her passing.

Politicians and critics then condemned the conditions of her incarceration. Mahbub Ullah, economist and political analyst, said, "She was confined to a dilapidated room in a run-down building of a defunct prison. It was unhealthy and isolated, and she was the only prisoner there. Her health steadily deteriorated during her incarceration, and many suspect she would not have reached such a critical state had she not been held under these conditions. Her kidney and liver diseases were prolonged from the start of her imprisonment."

Released conditionally in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Khaleda Zia was confined to her Gulshan residence, barred from travelling abroad or engaging in political work. Even under these restrictions, she remained a central figure in opposition politics, navigating her final years while managing chronic health issues and the scrutiny that came with her prominence.