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Published : 10 Jan 2026, 01:31 PM
The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security has called on Bangladeshi authorities to immediately release veteran journalist, author and human rights defender Shahriar Kabir, describing his continued detention as a grave violation of fundamental rights and international legal obligations.
In a statement on Monday, the institute said Kabir, 75, was arrested shortly after midnight on Sept 17, 2024 by detectives of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police without being informed of the specific charges or the legal grounds for his arrest.
His family was also not informed of his whereabouts at the time, it said.
Authorities later told Kabir that he had been arrested in connection with a murder case, but no prima facie evidence was presented during the arrest, the statement added.
The rights group said that his arrest and subsequent detention were marked by serious procedural irregularities and violations of Supreme Court guidelines on arrest, remand and due process.
The events took place within a week of the formation of Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, it noted.
While still in detention in other cases, Kabir was also formally arrested in a case filed with the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh (ICT) over killings during a law enforcement operation against a Hifazat-e Islam protest in Dhaka in May 2013.
Ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and dozens of others are implicated in that case.
The Lemkin Institute said Kabir never held any government position and had no role in the law-enforcing operation.
He is scheduled to be produced before the ICT on Jan 12, 2025, a move that could lead to an indictment, the institute said.
It expressed concern that Kabir’s trial would not meet constitutional or international standards, alleging a risk that the case could be decided without evidence or due process.
According to the statement, Kabir’s detention appeared to be linked to his public standing, his advocacy for secularism, his opposition to religious extremism and his criticism of Jamaat-e-Islami.
During bail hearings in the murder case, prosecutors allegedly referred to a televised debate involving Kabir and cited his political views rather than specific criminal conduct.
The institute also raised serious concerns about Kabir’s health and treatment in custody.
A wheelchair user with multiple age-related and chronic conditions, Kabir was allegedly denied access to necessary medication at the time of arrest and has since been held in conditions that do not meet minimum standards of humane treatment, Lemkin Institute said.
It added that applications for adequate medical care and special treatment have repeatedly been rejected despite his deteriorating health.
The statement also alleged that Kabir was verbally abused and attacked by mobs during court appearances, while court authorities failed to ensure his safety, dignity and effective legal representation.
He was reportedly denied a wheelchair, barred from using elevators, prevented from sitting during hearings and faced an unsafe courtroom environment.
Citing findings of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Lemkin Institute said Kabir’s detention falls under multiple categories of arbitrariness, lacking a clear legal basis and violating his rights to freedom of expression, opinion, association and peaceful assembly.
The institute said Bangladesh is bound by international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as its own constitution.
It called on the authorities to immediately release Shahriar Kabir, ensure his access to adequate medical care and guarantee his safety and fundamental rights.
The statement also urged the government to end the use of criminal law to silence peaceful dissent and appealed to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus to intervene.
