Bangladesh’s interim government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is facing a storm of criticism after the death of senior Awami League leader Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, who was seen shackled to a hospital bed in viral images.
The outrage has spiraled into a broader debate over custodial abuse, systemic human rights violations, and the impunity critics say is enjoyed by regime-aligned actors during Bangladesh’s turbulent political transition.
Death in custody, images of humiliation
Humayun, 75, a freedom fighter and former industries minister in Sheikh Hasina’s government, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital on September 24 while being treated for multiple age-related illnesses. Arrested in 2024 on charges of murder and vandalism during student-led protests, he had been in custody for over a year.
Photos circulated online showed him handcuffed to his ICU bed despite his frail condition. Some posts claimed the restraints remained even after his death. “Keeping handcuffs on a dying or dead person is inhuman and a stark violation of human rights,” Freedom Fighter Tajul Imam told The Voice, calling it “an extreme breach of dignity.”
Prison authorities denied misconduct, saying the images were taken earlier in his hospitalization and insisting they uphold the dignity of inmates. But the image of an elderly politician restrained while dying provoked condemnation at home and abroad.
Legal breaches and ignored safeguards
The case has revived scrutiny of a 2018 High Court ruling that barred indiscriminate use of handcuffs. The petition, filed by the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), sought to curb routine humiliations in custody. Advocate Abu Obyaidur Rahman, who represented BLAST, said Humayun’s shackling was a “clear breach” of that order. “How can a 75-year-old sick man be considered a dangerous or escape-prone prisoner?” he asked.
Rights activist Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir called it a “grave failure of state responsibility,” noting Humayun’s status as both a freedom fighter and a former minister.
A wider climate of repression
Humayun’s death has become a symbol of what critics describe as an unrelenting campaign of political vengeance. Since Hasina’s ouster in August 2024, the Yunus-led administration—backed by the military and Islamist groups—has arrested tens of thousands of Awami League members and supporters.
A police headquarters report released September 27 confirmed that at least 44,472 individuals accused of Awami League ties have been detained in the past 13 months, most without trial.
Rights groups describe prisons as overcrowded and unsanitary, with detainees routinely denied medical care. Witnesses say prisoners are frequently attacked by mobs when brought to court, often in full view of security forces, with no action taken against assailants.
Human rights monitors have also documented widespread bloodshed in the immediate aftermath of Hasina’s fall. Ain O Salish Kendra reported 318 killings between August 5–8, 2024. The Bangladesh Hindu, Buddhist, Christian Unity Council cited more than 2,000 cases of murder, rape, arson, and looting against minorities in just two weeks that month, many allegedly carried out by pro-Yunus mobs.
Indemnity and selective justice
While Awami League leaders face aggressive prosecution, violence by regime-aligned groups has largely gone unpunished. Critics say an indemnity policy has effectively shielded Yunus’s supporters from accountability.
Opposition and rights groups allege that anti-Awami League demonstrators killed hundreds of ruling party supporters and attacked police stations nationwide between July 15 and August 8, 2024. Estimates of police deaths vary sharply—from the government’s admission of 44 officers to opposition claims of more than 3,000.
Although the true figure remains disputed, the administration issued a directive on October 14, 2024, stating that “those who actively worked at the field level to make the mass uprising a success would not face any case, arrest or harassment” for incidents during that period.
For critics, the order amounts to a sweeping indemnity for crimes committed in the service of regime change. Rights monitors warn this selective justice has emboldened pro-Yunus actors to continue attacks on minorities and political opponents without fear of prosecution.
The culture of selective justice extends beyond the courts. Journalists, teachers, and academics sympathetic to the Awami League have been stripped of accreditation, forced to resign, or charged under laws rights groups call politically motivated. Meanwhile, outlets aligned with the interim government operate freely, often amplifying narratives vilifying Hasina-era officials.
Media gag and political silencing
The interim government has banned all Awami League political activity. Chief Adviser’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has warned news outlets that publishing party statements will bring “severe consequences.” Media are permitted only to criticize the Awami League, not report its views.
Access to state institutions is tightly restricted. Only journalists approved by the administration are allowed into the Bangladesh Secretariat, further narrowing public oversight. Rights watchdogs say this censorship is intended to suppress dissent and shield the regime’s abuses.
International alarm, domestic uncertainty
Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the UN Human Rights Office have raised alarm over extrajudicial killings, custodial deaths, and the erosion of due process. Bangladesh, they stress, is obligated under the UN Convention Against Torture to prevent degrading treatment of detainees.
But international pressure has so far had little effect. The Yunus administration, anchored by military and Islamist backing, insists its actions are necessary to dismantle Hasina’s authoritarian legacy. Critics counter that the interim rulers are repeating—and in some cases exceeding—the very abuses they claim to oppose.
With elections expected in late 2025, the crisis is existential. Supporters of Hasina see the crackdown as an effort to erase Bangladesh’s largest political party. Yunus’s allies portray it as overdue justice.
For many Bangladeshis, however, the haunting image of Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun shackled on his deathbed has become an enduring symbol of a state where justice bleeds into vengeance—where opponents die in chains while allies walk free.
