Ms Alam was arrested from her residence on 9 April 2025 by individuals identifying themselves as law enforcement officers. She was reportedly taken without a warrant, held incommunicado by the Detective Branch, and brought before a magistrate on 10 April in an extraordinary late-night hearing. She has since been remanded to custody for 30 days under the Special Powers Act, based on a vague and unsubstantiated claim that she posed a threat to public security and diplomatic relations.

Reports suggest that Ms Alam’s detention is connected to a personal dispute involving a diplomat from a Gulf State. According to public sources and family testimony, Ms Alam had recently terminated her engagement with the diplomat after discovering that he was already married with children. She is believed to have contacted the diplomat’s wife and spoken publicly about the matter. Rather than addressing this as a private issue, the Bangladeshi authorities appear to have responded with punitive legal measures, raising deeply troubling questions about the misuse of state power to shield foreign officials from scrutiny and to penalise a woman for asserting her dignity and truth.

This arrest, conducted in the absence of transparent legal procedure, highlights the persistent misuse of national security legislation long criticised for enabling arbitrary detention and silencing dissent. The Special Powers Act (SPA) of 1974, with its vague and overly broad provisions, continues to be wielded against political critics, journalists, artists, and private citizens alike. It allows for preventive detention without charge or trial for up to 30 days (or longer, subject to extension), under criteria that lack sufficient legal clarity or independent oversight.

International human rights bodies, including Amnesty International, have consistently called for the repeal of the SPA. Its continued use contravenes Bangladesh’s obligations under international human rights law, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which the country is a party. Fundamental protections—such as the right to liberty, freedom of expression, and due process—are clearly violated when individuals are detained without judicial warrant, legal representation, or prompt access to a court.

In Ms Alam’s case, the circumstances of her arrest are especially troubling. Reports suggest that her public allegations against a foreign diplomat may have triggered her detention. If substantiated, this would constitute an alarming instance of state complicity in suppressing an individual’s personal grievances to protect foreign diplomatic interests, at the expense of national sovereignty and individual rights.

The invocation of national security in such contexts undermines the very concept of public safety, turning it into a tool for intimidation rather than protection. The use of police force in an unaccountable manner, and the subordination of the judiciary to executive directives—as evidenced by the Home Ministry’s alleged role in this case—raise serious concerns about the rule of law in Bangladesh.

We therefore call on the Government of Bangladesh to:

1. Immediately release Meghna Alam, unless she is charged with a recognisable criminal offence in accordance with international legal standards and given a fair trial.

2. Repeal the Special Powers Act of 1974 in its entirety, and replace it with legislation that respects international norms on preventive detention, ensuring judicial oversight and time-bound safeguards.

3. Investigate the conduct of law enforcement officials involved in Ms Alam’s detention and ensure that violations of procedural safeguards—such as warrantless arrest, unlawful entry, and denial of due process—are addressed and penalised.

4. Safeguard the independence of the judiciary, and ensure that courts are not used to legitimise politically motivated or extrajudicial actions.

5. End the harassment and intimidation of individuals—especially women—who speak out against abuse of power, whether by domestic actors or foreign officials operating within Bangladesh.

The arrest of Meghna Alam is not an isolated incident. It reflects a wider pattern of repression and legal abuse that has intensified in recent years. From the enforced disappearance of activists to the criminalisation of expression online, Bangladesh’s human rights trajectory is deeply concerning.

Many in Bangladesh had placed genuine hope in the new government’s promises of democratic renewal and justice after years of repression. The public now looks to the interim leadership to break with the past—not replicate its worst abuses—by upholding the rule of law and safeguarding fundamental rights.

We stand in solidarity with all those resisting the use of unjust laws to silence dissent and call upon the international community to closely monitor developments in this case. Silence in the face of injustice only serves to embolden repression.

Human rights, justice, and the rule of law must not be optional principles—they are the foundation of any democratic society.

Pierre Rousset, president, Europe solidaire sans frontières (ESSF), France

Farooq Tariq, President Haqooq Khalq Party, Pakistan

Bangladesh Krishok Federation (BKF), Bangladesh

Bangladesh Kishani Sabha (BKS), Bangladesh

Bangladesh Agricultural Workers Union, Bangladesh

Bangladesh Garment Workers Federation, Bangladesh

Bangladesh Krishak Samiti, Bangladesh

Bangladesh Farmers Association, Bangladesh

Bangladesh Landless Association, Bangladesh

Bangladesh National Democratic Garments Workers Federation, Bangladesh

Bangladesh National Workers Federation, Bangladesh

Bangladesh Student Union Formation Process, Bangladesh

CNG auto-rickshaws [compressed natural gas] Mishuk [electric tricycles] Driver and Workers Union, Bangladesh

Ganotantrik Odhiker Committee (Democratic Rights Committee), Bangladesh

Motherland Garments Workers Federation, Bangladesh

National Farmers Alliance, Bangladesh

National Labor Federation, Bangladesh

Progressive Krishak Sangram Parishad, Bangladesh

Ready Made Garments Workers Federation, Bangladesh

Sarabangla Small Farmers Alliance, Bangladesh

Textile Garments Workers Federation, Bangladesh

United Farmers and Agricultural Workers Federation, Bangladesh

United Labor Federation, Bangladesh

Alternative internationale, Canada

Europe solidaire sans frontières (Europe in Solidarity without borders, ESSF), France

Borderless Movement, Hong Kong

Mutiara Ika Pratiwa, chairperson of Perempuan Mahardhika (Free Women), Indonesia

Achin Vanaik, Retired Professor of International Relations, University of Delhi, India

Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF), India

Kunal Chattopadhyay, Retired Professor of History and Comparative Literature, Jadavpour University, India

Purushottam Sharma, General Secretary, South Asia Peasants Federation, India

Radical Socialist, India

Purushottam Neupane, Peasant Leader, Nepal

Balasingham Skanthakumar, Sri Lanka, Director, Social Scientists’ Association

LABAN Kababaihan (Women Fight), Philippines

Alyansa ng mga Mamamayan para sa Karapatang Pantao (Alliance of Peoples for Human Rights), Mindanao, Philippines

Lanao Alliance of Human Rights Advocates (LAHRA), Mindanao, Philippines

Alliance of Tri-People for the Advancement of Human Rights (ALTAHR), Philippines

Partido Manggagawa (Worker’s Party), Philippines

Balasingham Skanthakumar, Director, Social Scientist’s Association, Sri Lanka

(Full list of organisations and individuals here)

Add your name to this statement here

---