Saddam incident inhumane; govt cannot evade responsibility: Statement by 39 eminent citizens

Thirty-nine eminent citizens have described as inhumane and cruel the incident in which Jewel Hasan Saddam, detained at Jashore Central Jail, was not released on parole following the deaths of his wife and child, and was instead shown their bodies at the prison gate.

They have demanded strict action against those responsible through a high-level, impartial investigation and said the interim government cannot evade responsibility for such negligence and vindictive conduct under the guise of judicial process.

The citizens expressed their outrage in a joint statement issued on Monday. Earlier the same day, the High Court granted Jewel Hasan Saddam six months of interim bail. Following a hearing on his bail petition, a High Court bench comprising Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Aziz Ahmed Bhuiyan issued the order along with a rule.

The statement said Jewel Hasan is not a death-row convict and that releasing detainees on parole to attend the funerals of close relatives is legally recognised. In such cases, political ideology or the nature of the case is entirely irrelevant. However, due to administrative indifference and bureaucratic complications, he was deprived of this humane opportunity, which the signatories termed completely unacceptable.

The statement further said that after the death of Jewel Hasan’s wife, his family sought parole by approaching authorities from the Bagerhat Deputy Commissioner’s office to the Jashore District Magistrate’s office. Yet no effective action was taken, citing weekly holidays and administrative delays. The signatories strongly condemned and denounced this inhumane, reckless and cruel behaviour.

They noted that although the interim government assumed office pledging to end injustice and impunity, such promises are increasingly being called into question. The denial of parole to Jewel Hasan following the unnatural deaths of his wife and infant son stands as a glaring example.

It is worth noting that following the July uprising, Jewel Hasan Saddam, former president of the Subordinate Bagerhat Upazila Chhatra League, had been incarcerated for nearly 11 months in multiple cases. In December 2025, he was transferred from Bagerhat District Jail to Jashore Central Jail. On 23 January this year, his wife Kaniz Suborna was found hanging from a ceiling fan in their home, while their nine-month-old infant son was found dead.

The statement was signed by prominent human rights activists, academics, lawyers, journalists and civil society representatives, including Sultana Kamal, Shirin Parvin Haque, Khushi Kabir, Rasheda K Chowdhury, ZI Khan Panna, Iftekharuzzaman, Shahidul Alam, Sara Hossain, and others.