Types of Threat:
Attacks on Legislature
Due Process/Fair Trial Right Violations
Hate or "Dangerous" Speech
Closing Civic Space
Marginalised Groups Targeted
Persecution of MPs/HRDs
Disinformation Campaign
Limitations on Speech/Press
Judiciary Undermined
PGA calls on Bangladeshi authorities to release former ruling Awami League Party Members of Parliament Mr. A.B.M. Fazle Karim Chowdhury, Dr. Dipu Moni, Mr. Asaduzzaman Noor, Mr. Mosharraf Hossain, and Mr. Muhammad Faruk Khan who were imprisoned shortly after former Prime Minister Hasina’s resignation and dissolution of Parliament. Government representatives and relevant authorities must respect their human rights and rights to a fair trial and due process.
In January 2024, former Prime Minister Hasina took power for a fourth consecutive term in a contested vote considered fraudulent by countries like the US and UK. On 6 August 2024, President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved the 12th Parliament of Bangladesh a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country amid weeks of demonstrations and civil unrest.Law-enforcement agencies and paramilitary forces used brutal force against protesters before and after the Prime Minister’s resignation. According to media reports, this violence has led to the death of 109 persons, including 14 police officers, and injured hundreds of persons. Amid the political instability, Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus announced general elections for late 2025 or early 2026.
We call on Bangladeshi authorities to provide information about the following five cases and ensure their physical and mental health is taken into consideration. Moreover, we urge the authorities to respect the human rights of all imprisoned individuals and follow due process. The cases below are only a few of which we have knowledge about and have received pertinent information and do not, in any way, represent an exhaustive list of detainees of parliamentary and government officials wrongfully accused during the weeks after former Prime Minister Hasina’s resignation.
Fazle Karim Chowdhury, former Chair of the Standing Committee on Ministry of Railways and member on the Standing Committee on Ministry of Public Administration, also served as a member and President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians. On 12 September 2024, Mr. F. K. Chowdhury was accused and arrested for the alleged charges of murder, extortion and bribery. Given the circumstances of the arrest and details of the case, charges appear to be politically motivated and are unsubstantiated. Detained under harsh conditions, authorities have denied Mr. F. K. Chowdhury treatment for his heart disease, diabetes and kidney issues. Consequently, his family has reported a severe deterioration of his health, including his mental health, due to abuse and humiliating media broadcasts.
During Mr. F. K. Chowdhury’s court appearances, orchestrated violent mobs called for his execution and attempted to physically harm him. There are concerns that future court appearances would result in similar harassment. The prosecution has strategically filed cases in many jurisdictions. Constant court appearances have led to his physical and mental exhaustion. Authorities are also adding new charges, continuing the cycle of harassment designed to incapacitate his defense. Authorities have repeatedly violated his rights to due process and a fair trial.
On 19 August 2024, Dipu Moni was arrested in Dhaka, accused and charged in the murder case of an BNP leader brought forth by the prosecutors of the current Interim Government. In an attempt to keep her and her colleagues in jail, Dr. Dipu Moni has also been named in additional murder cases. She has consistently denied her involvement in all cases.
Since her arrest, Dr. Dipu Moni has faced physical pain and abuse as well as mental distress. She has not been granted visitation from her husband who is extremely unwell due to a medical issue that arose in 2019. Dr. Moni has served in various capacities, including as Minister in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Education and Social Welfare.
Violations have also occurred against Asaduzzaman Noor, who was imprisoned on 15 September 2024, without a warrant. The subsequent day, he appeared before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court in a murder case. Authorities have imprisoned Mr. Noor in Keraniganj Central Jail without any formal charges against him.Mr. Noor’s case is allegedly about three murder cases linked to deaths that occurred during the student‑led anti‑government protests in July and August 2024. There are over 100 co-accused. The cases fail to establish any link between Mr. Noor and the murders.
Additionally, he has not had the opportunity to consult with his legal representatives, who were not given notice of court appearances. On court premises, Mr. Noor was subjected to degrading treatment through verbal assaults by court lawyers belonging to political parties opposed to the Awami League calling for his hanging as a murderer. The available evidence has significant discrepancies. In one case, the death certificate shows that the victim died in a different city (Rangpur) than the case file suggests. In another one, the accused himself submitted evidence of a media report stating that the death occurred in another town (Bogura) and not in the town included in the case file.
Mr. Noor suffers from poor health at 78 years old – heart disease, spinal degeneration, diabetes and asthma. The lack of evidence, denial of any bail petition, and arbitrary additional charges by police without any formal charges being brought against him point to a politically motivated arrest.
On 27 October 2024, police arrested Mosharraf Hossain at his residence in Bashundhara, Dhaka. He is being prosecuted for an alleged incident dating back to 2022. Without evidence, Mr. Hossain was charged despite being elsewhere at the time of the alleged crime. Authorities rejected a plea for bail and he was sent to Keraniganj Central Jail. On 28 October, another petition was denied. This one included a request for medical care. Mr. Hossain is 82 years old and suffers from Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, heart and lung disease, and dementia. He has partially lost his mobility following a major surgery in October 2021. The prison lacks the healthcare infrastructure necessary to provide adequate medical care, putting his life in jeopardy.
On 15 October 2024, 73 years old Muhammad Faruk Khan was arrested without a warrant at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka Cantonment, while undergoing physiotherapy sessions for residual pain in his hip and left leg after a surgery in April 2024. In February 2023, Mr. Khan suffered a stroke. He was then diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, hypertension and other ailments.
Without explanation, authorities did not grant his request to collect his medication from his residence. The police told the media that Mr. Khan had been arrested at his residence, which was false. The police first took Mr. Khan to the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, where he was not given the opportunity to speak to his lawyers. For three nights, he slept on a mattress on the floor, causing him pain and discomfort.
Initially, the police arrested Mr. Khan for an incident in December 2022 involving the death of a member of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The case was filed in September 2024. At the time of the incident, Mr. Khan was out of the country. In addition, Mr. Khan is also arrested for two other alleged murder cases linked to deaths during the July and August 2024 student-led protests. He was charged along with over 100 co-accused. The documents provided by authorities fail to establish any link between Mr. Khan and the alleged murders. Furthermore, along with other 44 cabinet members and advisers of former Prime Minister Hasina, Mr. Khan is included in a case before the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh. On 18 November 2024, Mr. Khan and 13 other co-accused former government officials appeared before the ICT for a hearing. Defense lawyers reported that, despite several attempts to obtain clarification on the case, no details on the charges against Mr. Khan had been provided, preventing them from preparing his defense in advance.
In September 2024, the interim government of Bangladesh announced the creation of a ministerial committee to identify and recommend the withdrawal of politically motivated legal proceedings. However, the accused is responsible for demonstrating their innocence, contrary to the principle of the presumption of innocence.
There seems to be no conclusive evidence in any of the cases brought against the former Members of Parliament aforementioned. There is however a pattern of violations of human rights and serious infringements to the rights of effective remedy, torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, arbitrary arrest or detention, and to a fair trial and due process. These legal principles are codified in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), particularly within Articles 2, 7,9 and14.
We urge Bangladesh, as a State Party to the ICCPR, to respect its international obligations ensuring the rights of all persons, including Mr. A.B.M. Fazle Karim Chowdhury, Dr. Dipu Moni, Mr. Asaduzzaman Noor, Mr. Mosharraf Hossain, and Mr. Muhammad Faruk Khan are protected.
