UNHRC Calls for Shahriar Kabir’s “Release and Compensation”

The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has said that the arrest of Shahriar Kabir—writer, researcher, and chairman of the advisory council of the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, known to be close to the ousted Awami League government—violated “legal standards.”

The Working Group of the Council has also urged that he be released and compensated, according to a recent report.

Shahriar Kabir was detained on the night of 17 September from the Banani area of Dhaka following the July uprising. Later, police showed him arrested in several cases related to the July movement. Since then, the human rights activist and filmmaker has remained in jail.

He was taken on remand and interrogated multiple times in connection with those cases. Despite submitting bail petitions, none were granted.

While the cases against him were ongoing in Bangladesh, a complaint was filed earlier this year with the UNHRC on behalf of Shahriar Kabir, who has also worked on Liberation War research, alleging multiple violations of legal procedures.

Regarding those allegations, the UNHRC Working Group recently presented its position under the title “Arbitrary Detention.”

The 11-page report states that on 27 February of this year, the Working Group sent a communication to the interim government of Bangladesh seeking information on Shahriar Kabir, with a response deadline of 28 April.

The UNHRC says the interim government responded on 13 May. Since the reply did not arrive within the stipulated time, the Working Group did not take it into account and prepared the report based on other available information.

The report states that Shahriar Kabir has been detained for more than a year, yet his trial has not begun.

Citing the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the report states that a detainee has the right to meaningful and regular judicial review.

Highlighting that he was arrested on “baseless” allegations for speaking on talk shows, the UNHRC said that giving opinions on talk shows falls under freedom of expression as guaranteed by the ICCPR, as long as it does not exceed “permissible limits.”

The report also states that the interim government failed to provide any evidence showing that such limits were exceeded.

The UNHRC believes the government also failed to demonstrate how the allegations against Shahriar Kabir could be considered incitement to murder or attempted murder.

According to the Working Group’s observations, Shahriar Kabir has produced documentaries against “extremist ideologies,” including one examining alleged links between Bangladesh’s largest Islamist political party and terrorism.

At the same time, he had long been advocating for justice for the atrocities committed during the Liberation War, positions that “created powerful political enemies,” the report states.

Shahriar Kabir, a recipient of the Bangla Academy Award, is also a children’s writer. He has long played an active role in the activities of the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee.

He played a significant role in forming the committee. After the death of Shaheed Janani Jahanara Imam in 1994, he became its president. He served in that role until 2024, after which he was appointed chairman of the advisory council.

After completing his student life, Shahriar Kabir joined the weekly Bichitra as a journalist in 1972. He later became executive editor and served until 1992.

From 1976 to 1980, he served as the general secretary of the Bangladesh Lekhak Shibir. He is currently imprisoned in several cases related to the July movement.

Calling for his release, the UNHRC has requested that the interim government ensure international standards in Shahriar Kabir’s judicial process.

The organization has also urged the authorities to take necessary “compensatory” and “rehabilitative” measures, as well as actions against those responsible for violating the rights of the writer and researcher.