Activist Shahriar Kabir (Photo | X)
Pressure mounts on Prof Yunus to release human rights activist Shahriar Kabir
The New Indian Express
26 September 2024
By Yeshi Seli
Within a week of the new Bangladesh regime, on 15 September, 73-year-old human rights activist, Shahriar Kabir, was arrested from his home on fictitious political charges.
NEW DELHI: 30 Human rights activists, academicians from across the world wrote a letter to Professor Yunus urging him to release Bangladeshi human rights activist/journalist Shahriar Kabir.
Shahriar Kabir was unlawfully arrested under the Yunus-led interim government in Bangladesh.
"We write as human rights activists and human rights defenders across Europe and beyond to express our deepest concern regarding the arrest of Shahriar Kabir, a renowned freelance journalist in Bangladesh, a documentary filmmaker, a writer, a humanist, and above all an uncompromising human rights activist for secularism,’’ wrote the 30 signatories in a letter addressed to Professor Yunus.
Within a week of the new regime, on 15 September, 73-year-old Shahriar Kabir was arrested from his home on fictitious political charges.
"We condemn the way in which Kabir has been implicated in the case and was arrested from his home …without proper legal investigation. Shahriar Kabir has been accused of crimes against humanity and genocide, when in fact he has been prominently vocal all his life against international crimes taking place in every corner of the world," the letter states.
Kabir was physically attacked by a mob following his arrest. He was denied a wheelchair while in custody.
He was remanded to judicial custody for a week. Many fear the police might torture him while in custody.
The activists have urged that he be released immediately, basic needs like a wheelchair and medical treatment be facilitated, and there be respect for international human rights law.
The 30 signatories include prominent world human rights leaders: Paulo Casaca (Portugal). Taril Gunersel (Turkey), Dr Helen Jarvis (Cambodia), Mona Haghgou Strindberg (Sweden), Prof Rafal Pankowski (Poland), Natalia Sineaeva (Poland), Christ Blackburn (UK), Rene Liebenthal (Argentina), Jami Aslam (Switerzland), Dusan Gojkov (Greece), Tapas Das (India), Dr Rayhan Rashid (UK), Banafsheh Zand (Iran), Nicholas Kawinga (Zambia), Matthew Johnsen (USA), Vladimir Bogdanic (Croatia), Sanjob Bharatia (India), Zeynep Oral (Turkey), Dr Gregory H Stanton (USA), Sirajum Munira, Dipak Chakraborty, Jamil Maqsood, GH Boehringer (Australia), Bidit Dey (UK), Sabbir Khan (Sweden), Dr Tommaso Virgili (Germany), Afsana Kishwar (Canada), Taslima Nasrin, Dr Ahmed Ziauddin (Belgium) and Dr Norwin Tamanna (UK).
Text of the letter:
21 September 2024
Dr. Muhammad Yunus
Chief Advisor
Interim Government of Bangladesh
We write as human rights activists and human rights defenders across Europe, Asia, America, Australia, and beyond to express our deepest concern regarding the arrest of Mr. Shahriar Kabir, a renowned freelance journalist in Bangladesh, a documentary filmmaker, a writer, a humanist, and above all an uncompromising human rights activist.
Mr. Kabir was the President of the Forum for Secular Bangladesh, and we highly praise his human rights activism and his work for a secular South Asia.
We are aware of the political crisis in Bangladesh that has been escalating since July 2024 and that has resulted in regime change and the current Interim Government headed by Noble Peace Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus as its Chief Adviser.
Within a week of the new regime, on 15 September, Mr Shahriar Kabir, aged 73, was arrested from his home on fictitious political charges.
We condemn the way in which Mr. Kabir has been falsely implicated in the case and was arrested from his home despite the Interim Government’s commitment not to harass and arrest anyone in any political cases without proper legal investigation.
It was surprising to us that since the new regime of Dr. Yunus came to power, multiple criminal cases have been filed including one at the International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh accusing Shahriar Kabir of crimes against humanity and genocide, when in fact he has been prominently vocal all his life against international crimes taking place in every corner of the world.
We further condemn his treatment at the court where he was physically attacked by the mob in the presence of law enforcement personnel.
It is shocking that his appeal for a wheelchair, due to his advanced age and physical condition, was ignored both by the police and the court.
Also surprising is that the court sanctioned against him 7 (seven) days of “remand”, a tool of enhanced interrogation and torture commonly used by police, and accordingly handed him over to the Police for “questioning”.
We are very concerned about the treatment Mr Kabir may receive under the partisan police and jail authority of Bangladesh, known for their poor track record on human rights.
We strongly urge that Mr Shahriar Kabir is treated according to the norms of international human rights law, with which the current Interim Government of Bangladesh has pledged to comply.
We further urge you to take legal action against all those who violated his dignity on the court premises, supposedly a safe place for any person.
We jointly urge the government of Bangladesh to:
a. Ensure his dignity and human rights
b. Release him on bail immediately,
and release him from the baseless politically motivated charges against him
c. Provide him with all medical facilities, including a wheelchair for his movement
d. Ensure him full and unfettered access to his legal counsel, and
e. Ensure that his family members and colleagues have full visitation rights.
We urge all institutions of Bangladesh to respect and observe international human rights law.
Barrister Tapas K. Baul
Advocate, Bangladesh Supreme Court
Co-signed by:
Paulo Casaca (Portugal). Taril Gunersel (Turkey), Dr Helen Jarvis (Cambodia), Mona Haghgou Strindberg (Sweden), Prof Rafal Pankowski (Poland), Natalia Sineaeva (Poland), Christ Blackburn (UK), Rene Liebenthal (Argentina), Jami Aslam (Switerzland), Dusan Gojkov (Greece), Tapas Das (India), Dr Rayhan Rashid (UK), Banafsheh Zand (Iran), Nicholas Kawinga (Zambia), Matthew Johnsen (USA), Vladimir Bogdanic (Croatia), Sanjob Bharatia (India), Zeynep Oral (Turkey), Dr Gregory H Stanton (USA), Sirajum Munira, Dipak Chakraborty, Jamil Maqsood, GH Boehringer (Australia), Bidit Dey (UK), Sabbir Khan (Sweden), Dr Tommaso Virgili (Germany), Afsana Kishwar (Canada), Taslima Nasrin, Dr Ahmed Ziauddin (Belgium) and Dr Norwin Tamanna (UK)