Bangladesh govt must take immediate steps to end prolonged detention of Awami League leaders and others linked to former regime: HRW

The Bangladesh government should immediately take steps to end the prolonged pretrial detention of politicians and others linked to the deposed Awami League government, Human Rights Watch has said.

Police detained thousands of party officials, activists, and supporters after then PM Sheikh Hasina was forced to step down as prime minister in August 2024 following weeks of protests, and hundreds remain in prison without being charged with any crime.

"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.”


Instead of pursuing reforms, the government’s new National Human Rights Commission bill—if adopted in its current form—would prevent the new commission from investigating alleged arbitrary arrests. Those detained without charge include former Awami League members of parliament, other former lawmakers that supported Hasina’s administration, and activists, officials, and journalists who had backed the Awami League government. Others, including members of the security forces, are accused of serious international crimes including extrajudicial killings, torture, and disappearances. Some are also accused of corruption.

Also read | US may revoke up to 200,000 tourist, business visas

Prosecutors have repeatedly sought to deny bail in cases in which no evidence has been produced. The lower magistrate and district courts have consistently refused bail, and High Court bail orders have been circumvented as government authorities file fresh cases.

In one example, ABM Khairul Haque, 82, a former chief justice, was arrested on July 24, 2025, for allegedly murdering a protester. Over the following three months, he was arrested in four more cases, including for corruption. The lower courts denied bail in each of these, though his family told Human Rights Watch he was in poor health and had a heart attack while in prison. The High Court granted the bail applications, but on March 10, 2026, the day before the court granted bail in the final case, the police applied for him to be arrested in two new cases, preventing his release.

Also read | US removes Syria from key Terrorism list after 47 years

The lower courts refused bail in both of these new cases, and the High Court on May 12 granted him bail. But before Haque could be released, police filed another murder charge. They alleged he was at a murder scene at exactly the same time as an earlier murder alleged against him, though the two locations are over 10 kilometers apart.

He was finally released on August 19. Throughout this period, he was not charged with any offense.