Human Rights Forum calls for immediate action over 'fabricated' cases
The Human Rights Forum of Bangladesh (HRFB) has strongly condemned and expressed deep concern over the filing of alleged fabricated and politically motivated cases after the July uprising last year, calling for immediate action.
In a statement today (29 April), the HRFB stated, "While legal action should be taken against those responsible for human rights violations, several individuals have been implicated in criminal cases for reasons believed to be tied to personal enmity, political rivalry, or business competition."
The HRFB said one recent case filed with Mirpur Police Station includes 408 accused, among them actor and Asiatic Group Director Iresh Zaker, as well as professional journalists. "Many of these individuals have no political affiliation and appear to have been named arbitrarily or due to personal vendettas."
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The practice of weaponising the legal system through such baseless accusations is deeply troubling and unacceptable, the statement read.
The organisation demanded the immediate withdrawal of these politically motivated cases against Iresh Zaker and other non-political citizens after a fair and transparent investigation.
The rights body also called for urgent investigations into all killings that occurred during the July uprising, seeking to uncover who was involved — either directly or indirectly — and under whose command these actions took place.
The HRFB urged law enforcement agencies to take immediate steps to remove the names of individuals who have been unjustly implicated and ensure accountability for any misuse of legal processes.
The statement comes after Mostafizur Rahman Bappi, brother of Mahfuz Alam Srabon, who died during the July uprising, filed a case with a Dhaka court naming actor Iresh Zaker alongside deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 406 others on 20 April, nine months after his brother's death.
