Sunday, 23 November, 2025
The United Nations has delivered a searing rebuke to Bangladesh: filmmaker, writer, and human rights defender Shahriar Kabir is being held in “arbitrary and unlawful” detention. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called for his immediate release, slamming the government for a pattern of political persecution, legal violations, and inhumane treatment.
Kabir, 74, a wheelchair user with multiple health conditions, was arrested shortly after midnight on 17 September 2024 by the Detective Branch. Officers from four police stations—Banani, Badda, Tejgaon, and Ramna—accompanied the team, but none informed him of the legal grounds for the arrest. He was told only that it related to a “murder case” and denied access to essential medicines and clothing. His family was left in the dark. Journalists seeking information were stonewalled.
The UN panel called the arrest “warrantless, unjustified, and politically motivated,” noting that serious allegations like murder and attempted murder require probable cause—something the government failed to demonstrate. “Such arrests must remain the exception, not the rule,” the report stated.
Kabir’s first court appearance at Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court exposed him to further danger. Violent mobs threw objects and shouted abuse as he emerged in handcuffs. Though police provided a helmet and bulletproof vest, they failed to assist him in his wheelchair or ensure safe court access, dragging him up staircases despite metal implants in his leg. Inside the courthouse, mobs attacked him again, and senior lawyers could not reach him. No counsel was appointed, violating his right to legal assistance. The UN panel held the government responsible for failing to protect a detainee whose public stance against extremism made him a predictable target.
Kabir faces nine murder-related cases, most tied to the July–August 2024 protests. In six cases, he was formally “shown arrested” while already in custody—a tactic the UN called a “long-standing bad practice” used to justify extended detention. Bail petitions citing his age, frail health, and lack of evidence were repeatedly rejected without meaningful assessment. Nearly a year after his arrest, no chargesheet had been filed.
The panel concluded that Kabir’s detention stems from his peaceful exercise of civil and political rights. He is known for documentaries exposing extremist networks and for advocating justice for 1971 war crimes. Police allegedly pressured him to confess to blasphemy, and prosecutors linked his detention to a televised debate with a religious leader. The UN panel said Kabir was punished for his secular views, political opinions, and influence among younger activists.
Medical neglect added another layer of abuse. Denied essential medicines, Kabir suffered a mini-stroke, kidney stones, chest infections, and severe pain from sleeping on cold floors. Requests for special care due to age and health were denied without explanation. The UN panel said this treatment violated international law, including the Nelson Mandela Rules on prisoner treatment.
The Working Group documented repeated breaches of fair-trial rights: denial of counsel of choice, court appearances under unsafe conditions, intimidation of lawyers, lack of timely chargesheets, prolonged detention, and insufficient time to prepare a defence. Taken together, these violations rendered the process “arbitrary” under UN categories II, III, and V.
Key findings:
No legal basis for arrest or continued detention
Charges are politically motivated and unsupported by evidence
Mob violence compromised fair-trial rights
Medical neglect amounts to “inhuman and degrading treatment”
Detention silences secular and human rights advocacy
The UN panel urged Bangladesh to release Kabir immediately, provide compensation, investigate the violations, hold officials accountable, and reform laws to meet international standards.
Who is Shahriar Kabir?
Kabir is a Bangla Academy Award-winning writer, filmmaker, journalist, and children’s author. He led the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee as president after Jahanara Imam’s death in 1994 and later chaired its advisory board. He worked at Bichitra magazine, eventually becoming executive editor, and served as general secretary of the Bangladesh Lekhak Shibir (Writers’ Camp) from 1976 to 1980.
Kabir’s detention highlights the perilous state of freedom of expression in Bangladesh. The UN’s ruling is a stark warning: dissent, secular advocacy, and human rights activism cannot be silenced through arbitrary imprisonment.
As the world watches, the question remains: will Bangladesh act on the UN’s demand, or continue to allow political persecution to override the rule of law?
Comments
The United Nations has delivered a searing rebuke to Bangladesh: filmmaker, writer, and human rights defender Shahriar Kabir is being held in “arbitrary and unlawful” detention. The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has called for his immediate release, slamming the government for a pattern of political persecution, legal violations, and inhumane treatment.
Kabir, 74, a wheelchair user with multiple health conditions, was arrested shortly after midnight on 17 September 2024 by the Detective Branch. Officers from four police stations—Banani, Badda, Tejgaon, and Ramna—accompanied the team, but none informed him of the legal grounds for the arrest. He was told only that it related to a “murder case” and denied access to essential medicines and clothing. His family was left in the dark. Journalists seeking information were stonewalled.
The UN panel called the arrest “warrantless, unjustified, and politically motivated,” noting that serious allegations like murder and attempted murder require probable cause—something the government failed to demonstrate. “Such arrests must remain the exception, not the rule,” the report stated.
Kabir’s first court appearance at Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court exposed him to further danger. Violent mobs threw objects and shouted abuse as he emerged in handcuffs. Though police provided a helmet and bulletproof vest, they failed to assist him in his wheelchair or ensure safe court access, dragging him up staircases despite metal implants in his leg. Inside the courthouse, mobs attacked him again, and senior lawyers could not reach him. No counsel was appointed, violating his right to legal assistance. The UN panel held the government responsible for failing to protect a detainee whose public stance against extremism made him a predictable target.
Kabir faces nine murder-related cases, most tied to the July–August 2024 protests. In six cases, he was formally “shown arrested” while already in custody—a tactic the UN called a “long-standing bad practice” used to justify extended detention. Bail petitions citing his age, frail health, and lack of evidence were repeatedly rejected without meaningful assessment. Nearly a year after his arrest, no chargesheet had been filed.
The panel concluded that Kabir’s detention stems from his peaceful exercise of civil and political rights. He is known for documentaries exposing extremist networks and for advocating justice for 1971 war crimes. Police allegedly pressured him to confess to blasphemy, and prosecutors linked his detention to a televised debate with a religious leader. The UN panel said Kabir was punished for his secular views, political opinions, and influence among younger activists.
Medical neglect added another layer of abuse. Denied essential medicines, Kabir suffered a mini-stroke, kidney stones, chest infections, and severe pain from sleeping on cold floors. Requests for special care due to age and health were denied without explanation. The UN panel said this treatment violated international law, including the Nelson Mandela Rules on prisoner treatment.
The Working Group documented repeated breaches of fair-trial rights: denial of counsel of choice, court appearances under unsafe conditions, intimidation of lawyers, lack of timely chargesheets, prolonged detention, and insufficient time to prepare a defence. Taken together, these violations rendered the process “arbitrary” under UN categories II, III, and V.
Key findings:
No legal basis for arrest or continued detention
Charges are politically motivated and unsupported by evidence
Mob violence compromised fair-trial rights
Medical neglect amounts to “inhuman and degrading treatment”
Detention silences secular and human rights advocacy
The UN panel urged Bangladesh to release Kabir immediately, provide compensation, investigate the violations, hold officials accountable, and reform laws to meet international standards.
Who is Shahriar Kabir?
Kabir is a Bangla Academy Award-winning writer, filmmaker, journalist, and children’s author. He led the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee as president after Jahanara Imam’s death in 1994 and later chaired its advisory board. He worked at Bichitra magazine, eventually becoming executive editor, and served as general secretary of the Bangladesh Lekhak Shibir (Writers’ Camp) from 1976 to 1980.
Kabir’s detention highlights the perilous state of freedom of expression in Bangladesh. The UN’s ruling is a stark warning: dissent, secular advocacy, and human rights activism cannot be silenced through arbitrary imprisonment.
As the world watches, the question remains: will Bangladesh act on the UN’s demand, or continue to allow political persecution to override the rule of law?
Comments
