BNP turning B’desh prisons into death traps: Awami League after youth wing leader dies in custody

Dhaka, June 25 (IANS) Amid mounting concerns over custodial deaths of Awami League members in Bangladesh, a leader of the party’s youth wing, Jubo League, died in Chattogram Central Jail, local media reported.

According to the jail authorities, the deceased, Nurul Alam, fell ill at Chattogram Central Jail on Wednesday. He was subsequently taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Nurul was arrested on June 23 in connection with a case registered under the Explosive Substances Act at Satkania Police Station back in 2024, Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo reported.

This latest incident came just days after another Awami League activist allegedly died following torture in police custody, sparking widespread condemnation and renewed concerns over custodial deaths in the country.

Condemning the death of Nurul, the Awami League accused the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government of turning prisons into “death traps,” drawing parallels with conditions during the rule of former President and BNP founder Ziaur Rahman.

“A prison is not supposed to be a person’s final destination. When a healthy individual taken into state custody returns dead within a short period of time, it is natural for people to question whether this was a killing. Once again, the BNP government has turned prisons into death traps, reminiscent of what occurred under Ziaur Rahman’s rule,” the Awami League stated.

The party alleged that a succession of prison deaths, dead bodies recovered from state custody, and the continued silence of those in power — from the earlier Muhammad Yunus-led interim government to the current administration under Bangladesh PM Tarique Rahman — reflects a worrying pattern.

“Suppressing opposition voices through arrests, intimidation, and fear can never be the language of democracy,” the Awami League noted.

Meanwhile, another leading international human rights organisation, Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), strongly condemned what it described as the “mysterious death” of Nurul in prison, just a day after his arrest.

Expressing grave concern, JMBF’s founder president and prominent human rights lawyer, Shahanur Islam, said that the death of the Jubo League leader in state custody was not an isolated incident but part of a continuing pattern that began under the previous interim government and has persisted under the current administration.

He alleged that members, leaders, and supporters of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations have been subjected to arbitrary arrests, with a growing number allegedly dying in police and prison custody without any meaningful accountability.

“Such incidents seriously undermine the rule of law, human rights, and public confidence in the justice system. The state must establish the truth behind this death, hold those responsible accountable, and ensure justice for the victim’s family,” he added.

–IANS

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