To Bangladesh Prime Minister concerning Shahriar Kabir
- Genocide Watch
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Shahriar Kabir. Source: Wikipedia
12 March 2026
His Excellency Tarique Rahman
Prime Minister of Bangladesh
Office of the Prime Minister
Old Sangsad Bhaban
Tejgaon, Dhaka-1215
Bangladesh
Email: info@pmo.gov.bd
Your Excellency,
We recognise and appreciate the steps taken by the Government of Bangladesh to restore
stability and to strengthen democracy and the rule of law during this important period for the
country.
Urgent concern regarding the detention and health of Shahriar Kabir
We, the undersigned human rights, press freedom and genocide prevention organisations, as
well as individual human rights defenders and genocide scholars, write to express our serious
concern regarding the continued detention and deteriorating health of Mr. Shahriar Kabir, who is
currently imprisoned in Dhaka Central Jail, Keraniganj.
The 75-year-old journalist, writer, filmmaker and human rights defender Mr. Kabir is
internationally renowned for his life-long commitment to the protection of religious and ethnic
minorities, promotion of secular values and religious pluralism. He has authored numerous
books and documentary films addressing issues of human rights, genocide accountability, and
peace. Over decades of journalistic work with publications such as Bichitra and Dainik Bangla,
he has contributed significantly to public debate in Bangladesh on human rights and freedom of
expression.
Mr. Kabir was arrested at his home in Dhaka by police under the interim government on
September 17, 2024. He faces multiple murder-related charges and charges of crimes against
humanity. These charges and surrounding trials have raised great concern among the
international human rights community and genocide scholars.
In October 2025, the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found his
detention arbitrary and violative of the International Bill of Human Rights and called for
his immediate release, an independent investigation into his detention, and
compensation (Opinion: A/HRC/WGAD/2025/40). The case in the broader context of justice
and accountability in Bangladesh was recently discussed in the article
"Can the New Bangladesh Government Achieve Positive Peace?", published in Foreign Policy in Focus
on 6 March 2026.
We are particularly troubled by reports regarding his current health and prison conditions. Mr.
Kabir suffers from chronic illnesses. He has suffered two mini-strokes while in detention and
uses a wheelchair. Reports indicate his health may be deteriorating rapidly and that prison
conditions have worsened, including the denial of wheelchair access and proper medical care.
We respectfully urge your government to grant Mr. Kabir immediate bail on humanitarian
grounds and ensure that he receives full access to necessary medical treatment, including
mobility assistance such as a wheelchair, and proper hospital care.
We most respectfully request that you follow Bangladesh’s commitment to the international human rights
conventions that Bangladesh ratified after its independence, which include but are not limited
to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the International Covenant
on Social, Cultural and Economic Rights (ICSCER), the Convention Against Torture (CAT), and
Nelson Mandela Rules (UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners).
We also respectfully encourage your government to ensure that all proceedings related to Mr.
Kabir’s cases fully uphold the principles of due process, rule of law, fairness and humanitarian
considerations. We would greatly appreciate your urgent attention to this matter and to any
steps the government can take to safeguard Mr. Kabir’s health and wellbeing.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. Gregory H. Stanton
Founding President, Genocide Watch
Chair, The Alliance Against Genocide
1-703-448-6665
Organisations - Signatories
Genocide Watch (United States)
Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (Canada)
Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security (United States)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) (France)
The "NEVER AGAIN" Association (Poland)
The South Asia Democratic Forum (Belgium)
European Bangladesh Forum (EU & United Kingdom)
Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (United States)
The Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial Brussels (Belgium)
Humanists International
Greek Helsinki Monitor (Greece)
International Crimes Strategy Forum (United Kingdom)
International Foundation Sport for Human Rights (United States)
Earth Civilization Network
Freedom and Justice Alliance (Global Platform)
Working Group Bangladesh in Germany
Individual Signatories
The following individuals are affiliated with PEN International, signing in their personal capacity:
Tarik Günersel, Int'l Advisory Board of PEN Writers for Peace Committee
Kim Echlin, Novelist, Member of PEN International Board, Canada Tanja
Tuma, Novelist and Publisher, President of Slovenian PEN Centre
Zeynep Oral, President, PEN Türkiye
Germán Rojas, Poet, Vice-President of Chile PEN Centre, Chile
Tienchi Liao-Martin, Honorable President of Independent Chinese PEN Centre and Chair of
Sino Euro Voices
Maximillia Muninzwa, Author, Kenya PEN Centre, Member of Advisory Board of PEN Writers for
Peace Committee
Dušan Gojkov, Balkan Literary Herald, PEN Arman, Serbia/Greece
Dr. Gregory H. Stanton, Founding President, Genocide Watch; Chair, The Alliance Against
Genocide
Irene Santiago, Former Chair of the Philippines Government Peace Negotiating Panel;
Co-founder, Mindanao Commission on Women, Philippines
Paulo Casaca, Founder and Executive Director, South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF)
Dr. Rafal Pankowski, Co-founder, "NEVER AGAIN" Association
Judith Abitan, Executive Director, Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights
Heidi Beirich, Co-founder, Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, USA
Wendy Via, Co-founder, Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, USA
Panayote Dimitras, Greek Helsinki Monitor, Greece
Elisa von Joeden-Forgey, Founder and Executive Director, Lemkin Institute for Genocide
Prevention, USA
Stephania Kulaeva, Executive Director, Anti-Discrimination Center Memorial Brussels
Harry Edwards, International Foundation Sport for Human Rights, USA
Ken McCue, Director, European Department, International Foundation Sport for Human Rights,
Ireland
Gary McLelland, Executive Director, Humanists International
Alexander Verkhovskiy, Director, SOVA Research Center, Russian Federation
Helen Jarvis, Life Member, International Association of Genocide Scholars, Cambodia
John Feffer, Director, Foreign Policy in Focus, USA
Daniel Feierstein, Director, Centre of Genocide Studies, National University of Tres de Febrero,
and Director, Observatory of State Crimes, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina
Mona Haghgou Strindberg, Attorney at Law, Sweden
Rayhan Rashid, Trustee, International Crimes Strategy Forum (ICSF), United Kingdom
Chris Blackburn, Activist, United Kingdom
René Liebenthal, Economist, Argentina
Tapas Das, Assistant Professor, India
Banafsheh Zand, Journalist, Iran
Nicholas Kawinga, Poet, Lusaka, Zambia
Matthew Johnsen, PhD, Human Rights Activist, USA
Vladimir Bogdanić, Secretary General, ‘Nikola Tesla Astral Genius’, Zagreb, Republic of Croatia
Sanjib Bharatia, Human Rights Defender, India
Sirajum Munira, PhD Fellow, Warsaw University of Technology, Poland
Dipak Chakraborty, Humanist and Human Rights Activist, India
Jamil Maqsood, President, Committee on Foreign Affairs – UKPNP
Professor Gill H. Boehringer, Australia
Bidit Dey, Associate Professor, The University of Sheffield, United Kingdom
Sabbir Khan, Computer Engineer, Sweden
Tommaso Virgili, Computer Engineer, Sweden; Postdoctoral Research Fellow, WZB Berlin
Social Science Center, Germany
Afsana Kishwar, Writer and Activist, Canada
Taslima Nasrin, Bangladeshi Secular, Feminist, Activist and Writer in Exile, India
Ahmed Ziauddin, International Law Expert, Belgium
Nowrin Tamanna, University of Reading, United Kingdom
Daniela Grabovac, Head, Anti-Discrimination Office Styria, Austria
Fazal-ur Rehman Afridi, President, Institut de Recherche et d’Études Stratégiques de Khyber
(IRESK); Principal Representative at the United Nations, TUMUKU Development & Cultural
Union (ECOSOC), France
David Hirsh, Professor of Sociology, Goldsmiths, University of London
Rukmini Iyer, Founder, Exu!t Solutions, India
Natalia Sineaeva, NEVER AGAIN Association, Minorities for Peace, Poland
Geert Ates, UNITED for Intercultural Action, Netherlands
Jose Maria Sarri, Journalist, Spain
Dr. Lakhu Luhana, Chairman, World Sindhi Congress
Daniel Semeniworima, Journalist and Peacebuilder, Nigeria
Sabo Kosimova, Journalist and Activist, Istanbul, Türkiye
Sheema Karmani, Founder, Tehrik-e-Niswan, Pakistan
Sam Tahmassebi, Lawyer; Adjunct Professor, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, USA
Elena Sirbu, Roma Women Network ROMNI
Dr Mazharul Islam, UK
Prof ABM Nasir, USA
Kathleen Doherty, LCSW, CDVP, Advocate for Human Rights
Theresa de Langis, PhD, Independent Scholar, USA
Jami Aslam, Lawyer, Switzerland
