BANGLADESH: INDIGENOUS DETAINEES STILL JAILED WITHOUT TRIAL

Dear Excellency Professor Muhammad Yunus,

Since April 7, 2024, 142 Indigenous Bawm people, including three children, have been arbitrarily arrested as part of an ongoing military operation in villages in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. 18 months later, 59 people, including three children, remain detained without trial. Three people have died in custody since 2024 amidst concerns of lack of adequate healthcare, while those still detained remain at serious risk.

Following an alleged robbery of two banks and hostage-taking of a bank manager by armed group Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) in April 2024, the authorities have targeted large numbers of Bawm people as part of their criminal investigation. The arrested have been accused of sedition under Section 15 of the draconian Special Powers Act, and for several other offenses under the Penal Code, such as robbery and kidnapping, without using available evidence to establish individual criminal responsibility for the robbery. The authorities appear to be targeting large numbers of Indigenous People indiscriminately, which may amount to racial discrimination. There are around 11,000 Bawm people in Bangladesh and most of them are currently living in fear of arrests, food insecurity, and lack of access to education and employment.

I urge you to either promptly charge individuals with an internationally recognizable criminal offense or release them. Pending this, I urge you to provide adequate legal representation and access to adequate healthcare for all those detained and allow their relatives to visit them without fear of being arrested in the process. Finally, end the crackdown against the Bawm community and fully implement all human rights provisions of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]