The Muhammad Yunus government in Bangladesh is under fire for human rights violations after the death of a senior Awami League leader. Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, 75, who served as Bangladesh’s Industries Minister under the Sheikh Hasina government, died while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Following his death, images went viral on social media showing Humayun handcuffed to a hospital bed while undergoing treatment, triggering widespread outrage and condemnation from rights activists and legal experts.
Humayun had been in prison following his arrest in connection with cases of murder and vandalism during the student-led protest movement in Bangladesh in 2024.
What Authorities Said
Prison authorities have insisted the images were from an earlier stage of his hospitalisation. In a statement on Wednesday, jail authorities said they always act responsibly to protect the human rights and dignity of every inmate, with no exception in Humayun’s case.
Outrage Over The Act
However, lawyers and rights defenders described the act as a gross violation of human dignity.
“Keeping handcuffs on a dying or dead person is inhuman and a stark violation of human rights. This will remain as an example of the most extreme breach of dignity,” human rights activist Nur Khan Liton told leading Bangladeshi daily, The Business Standard.
The controversy also revived discussion on a 2018 High Court ruling in response to a petition by the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), which had directed authorities to refrain from the indiscriminate use of handcuffs on detainees and to exercise caution in such matters.
Advocate Abu Obyaidur Rahman, who represented BLAST in that case, said the viral photos were a “clear breach” of the court’s directive. “How can a 75-year-old sick man be considered a dangerous or escape-prone prisoner?” he questioned.
Rights activist Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir also criticised the incident, calling it a “grave failure of the state”.
“An 80-year-old man, gravely ill and at the verge of death — a freedom fighter and former minister of the country — being subjected to such inhuman treatment is not only against human values but also a grave failure of state responsibility,” he said.
Yunus Government’s Crackdown On Awami League
The incident comes against the backdrop of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government’s intensified crackdown on Awami League leaders and activists following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
Many opposition leaders have since been jailed on what critics allege are fabricated charges, with several reported to have died in custody.
