On July 19, 2024, police abducted Nur Nabi, a coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement and student at Jagannath University. Nabi was held for more than two weeks before being released on August 6.

Following his release, Nabi held a press conference at which he described being blindfolded, stripped, and subjected to torture while in police custody.

Nabi’s abduction occurred against the backdrop of the quota reform movement, a set of widespread student protests that began on the campus of the University of Dhaka, after a June 5, 2024 ruling by the High Court of Bangladesh reinstating a quota system – previously abolished in 2018 – which allocated government jobs to certain favored groups. Under the system, 30% of government positions went to people who had fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan and their family members, creating a shortage of sought-after positions for others. The protests ultimately led to the resignation of Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the establishment of a new interim government.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the detention without charge and alleged torture of a student activist, to retaliate for or prevent the nonviolent exercise of the right to free expression and assembly. State authorities must refrain from actions intended to punish, restrict, or deter the exercise of these rights. Such actions violate fundamental human rights and undermine democracy generally.

Sources:
https://www.icnl.org/wp-content/uploads/HRR_July-September_2024_English.pdf
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/education/354228/jnu-coordinator-describes-brutal-police-torture
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/355031/jnu-student-movement-coordinator-steps-down
https://en.somoynews.tv/news/2024-08-17/RG6E7yz9