Human Rights Watch has highlighted deaths in custody, denied bail and medical care under the new government, urging respect for presumption of innocence after mass arrests following the 2024 uprising.

Human Rights Watch has urged Bangladeshi authorities to immediately end the prolonged pretrial detention of politicians and others linked to the deposed Awami League government. The organisation said hundreds remain imprisoned without charge nearly two years after mass arrests that followed Sheikh Hasina’s forced resignation in August 2024.

Police detained thousands of party officials, activists and supporters in the aftermath of the protests that toppled Hasina’s 15-year rule. While some officials may have been complicit in serious rights violations under the previous government, HRW said many were arrested without apparent evidence on allegations of murdering protesters. Family members and lawyers report that detainees – many of them older people with serious health conditions – have been denied basic rights including bail and adequate medical care.

Deaths in Custody Raise Alarm

At least 10 Awami League office holders, most of whom had not been charged with any crime, have died in prison since Prime Minister Tarique Rahman of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party took office in February 2026. Among those who died was Ramesh Chandra Sen, 85, a former Awami League lawmaker arrested in August 2024 on three murder cases and an explosives case. His family said he was denied proper medication and refused bail; he died on 7 February 2026. SM Ziaul Haque Zia, 65, a Jamalpur district Awami League member already in poor health when detained on 6 January, died on 14 April after being denied bail.

HRW Asia director Elaine Pearson stated: “Under one government after another, hundreds of opposition members have been locked up without evidence or due process. 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.” 

Pearson added that a justice system allowing older people to die in custody before they are charged fails to treat pretrial detention as the exceptional measure it should be under international law. The group called for independent inquiries into all prison deaths and an end to arbitrary prolonged detention without charge.

Bail Repeatedly Blocked by Fresh Cases

Prosecutors have repeatedly sought to deny bail in cases where no evidence has been produced. Lower magistrate and district courts have consistently refused bail, while High Court bail orders have been circumvented by authorities filing fresh cases. Lawyers for detainees now often advise clients not to seek bail, because success simply prompts police to open new cases.

A prominent example is ABM Khairul Haque, 82, a former chief justice arrested on 24 July 2025 for allegedly murdering a protester. Over the following three months he was arrested in four more cases, including corruption. Lower courts denied bail despite his family’s reports of poor health and a heart attack in prison. The High Court granted bail applications, but on the eve of final bail in March 2026 police sought his arrest in two new cases. The pattern repeated: High Court bail was granted again in May, only for police to file another murder charge alleging he was present at a scene more than 10 kilometres from an earlier alleged incident at the exact same time. After further High Court intervention requiring police not to arrest or harass him without specific charges, he was finally released on 19 August 2026 following Appellate Division action. Throughout, he was not charged with any offence.

International Crimes Tribunal Holds Detainees Without Charge

Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, a domestic court prosecuting international crimes, permits detention without charge beyond one year only in “exceptional circumstances” set out in writing. The tribunal has not released on bail any of the more than 160 people it has detained, and detainees have no right to appeal bail rejections.

Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, 81, a former Hasina adviser, was first detained by the tribunal in October 2024 and has spent 22 months in custody without charge. When he sought bail in April 2026 the tribunal neither granted it nor set out exceptional circumstances, adjourning proceedings twice, most recently until the end of August. Former parliament member Kamal Ahmed Majumder, 75, has also been detained by the tribunal for 22 months. His family reported that he suffered gangrene requiring amputation of three toes and broke his hip in a fall; the tribunal refused bail in July.

Other elderly detainees face serious health issues. Activists have called for the release of Shahriar Kabir, 75, who suffers chronic ailments and needs a wheelchair. RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury, 71, has been in detention for 22 months without charge and has serious heart problems.

Broader Context of Political Detentions

Those detained without charge include former Awami League members of parliament, other former lawmakers who supported Hasina’s administration, and activists, officials and journalists who backed the previous government. Others, including members of the security forces, face accusations of serious international crimes such as extrajudicial killings, torture and disappearances, or of corruption.

The pattern continues a cycle of politically motivated detentions that characterised successive governments. Under the interim administration that governed from August 2024 until the February 2026 elections, thousands of perceived Awami League supporters were arrested, often in cases involving large numbers of unnamed suspects. The Awami League was banned from contesting the elections. HRW has previously raised concerns about fair-trial standards at the International Crimes Tribunal, including reliance on witness statements with duplicated passages and limited due-process protections.

Instead of advancing reforms, the government’s proposed National Human Rights Commission bill, if adopted in its current form, would prevent the new commission from investigating alleged arbitrary arrests. International human rights law permits pretrial detention only as an exception, determined on an individual basis, subject to judicial review of legality and necessity, and consistent with the rights to liberty, the presumption of innocence and equality. Anyone detained is entitled to a speedy trial or release.

HRW called on the authorities to investigate prison deaths, respect the presumption of innocence and uphold fair-trial rights. The organisation’s statement comes as Bangladesh navigates the transition after the 2024 uprising, with the new government having pledged to strengthen institutions and end the repression associated with the previous era. Whether it will address the continued detention of political opponents without charge remains a key test of those commitments.