Dhaka, August 7: The Bangladesh Awami League has expressed deep concern over serious allegations of human rights violations involving political prisoners at the Kashimpur High Security Central Jail in Gazipur district.
According to families and former inmates, the party claims that political prisoners affiliated with the Awami League have been deliberately denied food and safe drinking water following a virtual address by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The party alleged, citing jail sources and former prisoners, that punitive actions are taken whenever Hasina makes a public statement. Political inmates are subjected to collective punishment, which includes the suspension of regular meal distribution and restrictions on access to essential services.
Relatives of the inmates reported that prisoners went without food for an entire day after Hasina’s virtual address on Wednesday. Former inmates also stated that those attempting to purchase food from the jail canteen with their own money were repeatedly stopped.
One former inmate claimed that prisoners were often forced to drink water from the washroom instead of being provided safe drinking water. He described this treatment as “inhumane and degrading, violating basic standards of human dignity.”
The Awami League stated, “If these allegations are proven true, it would constitute a violation of internationally recognized human rights standards. This includes the United Nations’ minimum standards for the treatment of prisoners, known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, which stipulate that inmates should receive adequate food, clean drinking water, and be treated with dignity without discrimination or collective punishment.”
The party emphasized that human rights activists have long asserted that all prisoners, regardless of their political affiliation or the charges against them, have the right to basic protections under domestic law and international human rights standards.
The Awami League noted that families of the detained individuals are calling for an independent investigation into the allegations and urged Bangladeshi authorities to ensure that all prisoners receive adequate food, safe drinking water, medical care, and protection from abuse.
On Wednesday, addressing a press conference via audio link from New Delhi, Sheikh Hasina remarked that the situation in Bangladesh has deteriorated over the past two years. She stated that even after the BNP came to power, people continue to live in an atmosphere of fear, insecurity, and economic crisis, describing it as a “fraudulent election.”
Hasina, who has been in exile in India for the past two years, also mentioned that she plans to return to her country by the end of the year.
While addressing the media in New Delhi, Hasina said, “After the fraudulent election, the BNP came to power, but the situation has not changed. Bangladesh is still gripped by fear, terror, despair, economic hardship, and deep insecurity.”
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