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Shahriar Kabir was born on 20 November 1950. Approaching his 76th birthday, he faces severe, life-threatening mobility and health challenges. 

The open letter issued by several human rights and genocide prevention organisations brings attention to Shahriar Kabir’s continued arbitrary detention and deteriorating health in extreme prison conditions. It points to the freedom of expression and the protection of historical memory in Bangladesh.

Shahriar Kabir was born on 20 November 1950. Approaching his 76th birthday, he faces severe, life-threatening mobility and health challenges. 

The open letter issued by several human rights and genocide prevention organisations brings attention to Shahriar Kabir’s continued arbitrary detention and deteriorating health in extreme prison conditions. It points to the freedom of expression and the protection of historical memory in Bangladesh. 

Bangladesh got its independence from Pakistan after the Liberation War in 1971, which was accompanied by mass atrocities including genocide and crimes against humanity. Since then, Bangladesh has been going through the difficult process of dealing with the past. 

For decades, Kabir has documented the history and legacy of Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, including the crimes committed by the Pakistani army and its local collaborators, bringing perpetrators to accountability and seeking justice for victims. He has authored more than 70 books and made 16 documentary films. Through his life-long work, he has also promoted secularism and the protection of minorities.  

Moreover, Shahriar Kabir has a special connection with Poland and the region of Central and Eastern Europe. He documented the transition to democracy, and became one of the first journalists from Asia to visit Poland and interview Lech Walesa, the leader of the Solidarity movement. Kabir published a book in Bengali about the democratic changes in Eastern Europe. Over the last decade, he frequently cooperated with the Warsaw-based human rights organization, the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association. 

The writer, filmmaker and journalist who once travelled across the world to document the struggle for democracy, now faces repression in his own country. 

Kabir’s continued detention has been recognised as arbitrary by the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that found that Kabir’s arrest was connected to his political opinions and his views opposing extremism, and involved numerous violations of his right to a fair trial and due process, an opinion reiterated on 14 April 2026 by five UN Special Rapporteurs. His continued arbitrary detention today raises concerns about the treatment of those who speak out for religious pluralism and minority rights in Bangladesh and globally.  

The open letter has been issued jointly by the ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association together with Genocide Watch (United States), Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights (Canada), European Bangladesh Forum (UK and EU), International Crimes Strategy Forum (United Kingdom), South Asian Democratic Forum (Belgium), Greek Helsinki Monitor (Greece), Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention and Human Security (United States), Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (United States), and Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial Brussels (Belgium), and endorsed by distinguished international scholars and human rights experts, including: Professor Irwin Cotler, former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; Professor Ben Kiernan, A. Whitney Griswold Professor of History Emeritus, Yale University, Founding Director, Genocide Studies Program, Yale University; Professor Jan Tomasz Gross, Professor of History Emeritus, Princeton University; Dr Helen Jarvis, Vice President, Permanent People’s Tribunal, Cambodia; and Dr Gregory H. Stanton, Founding President, Genocide Watch, Chair of the Alliance Against Genocide.  

The letter calling for the immediate release of Shahriar Kabir will be delivered to the Government of Bangladesh. The full text of the letter:  
https://www.nigdywiecej.org/en/who-are-we/event-partnership/event-partnership-in-2026/6211-an-open-letter-in-defense-of-historical-memory-freedom-of-expression-and-shahriar-kabir 
https://www.raoulwallenbergcentre.org/en/news/open-letter-in-defense-of-historical-memory-freedom-of-expression-and-shahriar-kabir 
https://www.genocidewatch.com/single-post/letter-from-human-rights-advocates-for-shahriar-kabir 
https://www.sadf.online/free-shariar-kabir-an-open-letter .

It is open for signatures here: [LINK]. 

Every signature makes a difference, turning it into a powerful statement in defence of human rights.

The ‘NEVER AGAIN’ Association is an independent civil society organisation founded in Warsaw in 1996. It has campaigned against racism, antisemitism, and xenophobia, for peace, intercultural dialogue, and human rights. ‘NEVER AGAIN’ has actively participated in international civil society networks, including the Alliance Against Genocide. 

More information: 
www.NeverAgainAssociation.org 
www.facebook.com/Respect.Diversity 
www.twitter.com/StowNIGDYWIECEJ 
www.linkedin.com/company/never-again-association 
https://neveragainnw.bsky.social 
https://www.instagram.com/stowarzyszenie_nigdy_wiecej