?? Urgent Call to Action: FREE SHAHRIAR KABIR! ??
In the words of Dr. Ryhan Rashid (from our podcast on 17.01.25): ‘Let me tell you about Shahriar Kabir. Shahriar Kabir has spent his whole life fighting for a secular society, fighting for minority rights, demanding justice for genocide, fending against the rise of religious extremism in Bangladesh. But his ideals, his courage, his convictions, his activism are now costing him dearly. One hundred and twenty-one days ago, Shahriar Kabir was arrested on false charges under the current regime led by Dr. Yunus, the Nobel Laureate.’
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SADF is shocked by how Mr. Kabir is being treated. So are? Mrs. Natalia Sineaeva, from Never Again (Warsaw, Poland), and by Mrs. Mona Haghgou Strindberg , a human rights lawyer based in Sweden.
Mrs. Strindberg, who has followed Mr. Kabir’s illegal detention closely, vividly described the violence involved. Because Mr. Kabir is a fighter for freedom, secularism, minorities’ and indigenous people’s rights; a tireless advocate for genocide awareness and social transformation; a tireless militant for progress for over 50 years – it’s not the first time he faces repression by a Bangladeshi government. It is the first time, however, that he is treated with such brutality and contempt. Not only was Mr. Kabir was illegally detained, he was assaulted by a mob, disrespected by the court (who denied a 73-year-old the right to sit down) and denied healthcare. The accusations Mr. Kabir faces include ‘genocide’ and ‘crimes against humanity’. Mrs. Strindberg calls these accusations ‘bizarre’; indeed, they are ironic.
It is also ironic that a champion of secularism is being treated like this at a time when there are proposals to remove the mention of secularism from the Bangladeshi Constitution.
In Mrs. Strindberg’s words: ‘We are talking about a human rights activist! Someone who devoted his life, so many [50] years of life fighting against abuses and shedding light on genocides. We are talking about a courageous man who has courage beyond words for the fight he has devoted his life to!’
Mrs. Sinaeva speaks from Warsaw and in the name of the Never Again Association, which advocates for Holocaust remembrance and social inclusion, fighting against xenophobia and all forms of discrimination. Mrs. Sinaeva has known and worked with Mr. Shabir for over 30 years, in both Europe and Bangladesh. From her testimony we learn that Mr. Kabir was not only a tireless activist for a better future for Bangladesh – he was also a citizen of the world sharing other corners’ fights for a better future. For instance, he followed closely the fall of the Berlin Wall and was the first journalist from Asia to interview Poland’s first democratically elected President Lech Walesa. Since then, Mrs. Sinaeva has followed closely Mr. Shariar’s activism both at home and abroad; she spoke most eloquently on his tireless advocacy on a variety of causes, no less for post-genocide ‘social healing’ in Bangladesh. Indeed, Shahriar Kabir’s curriculum vitae (Wikipedia) is as clear and uncompromised as the man himself; Mrs. Sinaeva is convinced that his authenticity, integrity, and uncompromised pledge to fight by what is right got him arrested by the current government. Never Again is reaching out to all organizations and members of the global Civil Society to rally and press for his immediate release.
Mrs. Strindberg is working with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to allow for Mr. Kabir’s immediate release. Never Again has called on Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Global Alliance Against Hatred and Extremism, and others. The timing is extremely urgent because of Mr. Kabir’s declining health. Please help us spread the word!
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WHAT YOU CAN DO: (OpenAI, 2025)[1]
You can sign SADF’s letter to President Muhammad Yunus. You can write us on social media or to our email [email protected] to add your name. You can also:
#FreeShahriarKabir #HumanRights #StandForJustice #SecularBangladesh #DemocraticBangladesh #LawfulBangladesh
[1] This last section was inspired by AI (OpenAI, 2025). The article's title was also influenced by AI. On 19.01.25, we created a chat on ChatGPT, whose full content can be accessed here: .https://aichatbot.co/chat/1737282406631
The poster image was generated by Pixrl and modified on Canvas.