Human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) has condemned and protested the arrest of Mohammad Kalim Uddin, 60, in Dhamrai, Dhaka, after police failed to locate his son during a raid.
According to media reports, police raided the house of Jubo League worker Rifat Ahmed to arrest him.
Failing to find him, police took his father, Kalim, to the police station and later showed him arrested in a “pending case”.
Police stated that Kalim had no prior cases registered against him and was not an office-bearer of the Awami League, adding that he was arrested based on information that he was the party’s supporter.
In a statement, ASK noted that arresting a relative when a targeted family member cannot be found in the name of law enforcement is unacceptable in any civilised, democratic, and human rights-based state.
The organisation stated that imposing one person’s liability onto another violates fundamental principles of personal responsibility, justice, and the rule of law.
ASK highlighted that Article 31 of the Constitution guarantees every citizen the right to the protection of law and to be treated only in accordance with law, while Article 32 ensures that no person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty save in accordance with law.
It added that Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) also guarantees protection against arbitrary arrest and detention.
The rights body observed that under previous governments, allegations frequently arose regarding false cases, harassment, detention, and arrest of citizens due to political identity, familial relationships, or the actions of others.
ASK stressed that with a change of government, the culture of state behaviour must also change, urging the present government to completely break away from past practices of detention, harassment, and arrest that created fear among citizens.
Against this backdrop, ASK demanded the immediate and unconditional release of Kalimif there are no specific and lawful allegations against him.
The organisation called for explicit directives to be issued to law enforcement agencies prohibiting the detention, arrest, or harassment of any family member due to the political identity or activities of another family member.
