Many People Suffering in Prisons Due to Political Identity, Says Prof. Rehman Sobhan
Economist Professor Rehman Sobhan has said that a large number of people in the country are currently languishing in prisons due to their political identities. He described this as a violation of human rights, a failure of the country’s justice system, and one of the failures of the interim government, which should have been more committed to upholding the rule of law.
He made these remarks at a dialogue titled “National Human Rights Commission Ordinance, 2025: Expectations from the New Parliament.” The dialogue was held this Wednesday afternoon at the Bangladesh–China Friendship Conference Center in the capital. The event was organized by an organization called the Citizens’ Platform for SDG Implementation.
During the dialogue, Rehman Sobhan expressed hope for improvement in the situation in the presence of Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed. He said that restoring the human rights of those who are illegally in custody and re-establishing the effectiveness of the rule of law would be a “litmus test” for Salahuddin Ahmed as the Home Minister.
Rehman Sobhan, Chairman of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said that unfortunately history shows that previous governments have violated the rights of their opponents. When those same opposition groups come to power, instead of taking action according to the law, they spend their time violating the human rights of their opponents.
Raising the question of what the real challenge will be for members of parliament, Rehman Sobhan said, “Those who present themselves as advocates of human rights—how far will they ensure that the rule of law is maintained in the country? Will we truly have an independent judiciary, and will it not be used as a tool to violate human rights instead of protecting them?”
Expressing hope that the National Human Rights Commission Ordinance will be passed, Professor Rehman Sobhan said, “How effectively the commission will function will depend entirely on whether Salahuddin Ahmed, like previous home ministers, chooses to ignore it.”
