Meghna Alam

In a statement issued today by noted economist Anu Muhammad on behalf of the platform, the group also demanded the repeal of the Special Powers Act of 1974, under which Meghna was detained.

According to the statement, law enforcers forcibly entered Meghna’s residence on Wednesday night and detained her.

Her whereabouts were undisclosed for nearly 24 hours, until she was produced before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Court on Thursday night.

The court reportedly ordered her detention under the Special Powers Act for 30 days “based on a directive from the home ministry”.

The statement said that the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) confirmed Meghna’s detention only after widespread outrage on social media, particularly Facebook.

Following this, a vague statement was issued, stating she had been held as a “threat to public security and law and order” and for “attempting to damage diplomatic relations by spreading false information”.

The platform described the 1974 Act as a “fascist law”, pointing out that several current advisers to the interim government have previously opposed its use.

The statement further criticised the move as an attempt to legitimise “unfair behaviour and fraudulence” allegedly committed by a foreign diplomat, by detaining a woman in a “forceful and unlawful manner”.

Citing a broader pattern of human rights violations, the statement said the last 15 years under ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s rule have been marked by enforced disappearances and arbitrary arrests.

It called the latest incident a “fascist attempt” in the wake of the recent “bloodstained July uprising” led by students and workers demanding democratic transition.

The platform rejected the DMP’s allegation that Meghna harmed diplomatic relations, calling it “confusing and unacceptable”.

It also questioned the state’s use of force in apparent deference to the “personal anger of a foreign diplomat”, adding that such actions raise concerns about national sovereignty.

The group demanded Meghna’s immediate release, repeal of the Special Powers Act, legal action against the law enforcement personnel involved, and an investigation into the role of the foreign diplomat in question.

It added that no repressive law, including the Special Powers Act, should remain in force in a country undergoing a democratic uprising.

The Daily Star