Veteran Bangladeshi journalist, author, and human rights activist Shahriar Kabir was arrested on September 17, 2024, by the detective branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police at his home in the capital Dhaka.
Kabir has been named in multiple murder cases filed with the Ramna and Bhashantek police stations related to killings during clashes between security forces, pro-government groups, and student protesters in July 2024, touched off by student groups protesting against reserved quotas for government jobs.
Police have accused Kabir of involvement in the killing of Liza Akter, a 19-year-old domestic worker who was fatally shot while standing on a balcony, and in the deaths of several students and bystanders also killed during the unrest.
He has appeared as a defendant in additional cases linked to other protest-related deaths, which remain pending.
As of early 2026, Kabir has not been convicted of any crime but has repeatedly been denied bail and remains in custody at Kashimpur Central Jail. CPJ could not independently verify the number of cases Kabir is facing, or what charge he has been accused of for each of them.
While in jail, Kabir has undergone routine medical checks due to age-related ailments, with prison authorities arranging hospital visits as needed.
For decades, Kabir has written and produced documentaries addressing religious extremism, minority rights, and accountability for historical crimes, and has been a prominent voice in public debates over secularism and political violence.
Following the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, which led to the country’s independence after a nine-month conflict marked by widespread atrocities and mass displacement, he began his journalism career with the Daily Bangla newspaper and later joined the now-defunct magazine Weekly Bichitra. He has also appeared on Bangladeshi news channels as a commentator.
In November 2001, Kabir was arrested on sedition charges when he returned to Bangladesh from India after documenting attacks on minority Bangladeshi Hindus who had fled the country.
Police detained him under Section 54 of the Code of Criminal Procedure and later the Special Powers Act of 1974, which allows the government to hold a person without trial and human rights groups have criticized as a tool to crush dissent.
Kabir was never convicted and the case was closed in 2008 after a court dismissed the charges as baseless.
Bangladesh Police did not reply to CPJ’s emailed request seeking comment on Kabir’s case.