Bangla rights body flags medical lapse in Awami League leader’s custodial death

A prominent international human rights organisation has strongly criticised the custodial death of Prolay Chaki, a well-known Bangladeshi musician and Cultural Secretary of the Awami League, alleging serious medical negligence by prison authorities in Bangladesh.

Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) said Chaki died on Sunday night while undergoing treatment at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, following a rapid deterioration in his health while in custody in Pabna district.

The organisation claimed that his family was not informed in a timely manner and that prison authorities failed to ensure appropriate medical care despite clear warning signs.

According to JMBF, Chaki was detained on 16 December 2025, by the Detective Branch of Bangladesh Police from his residence in Pabna town and was later sent to jail after being arrested in what the group described as a “politically motivated false case”.

The rights body said Chaki had a known history of heart disease but was not provided specialised or intensive cardiac care while in custody. “Despite his critical condition, the concerned authorities failed to ensure access to a coronary care unit or equivalent specialised treatment,” it said, citing media reports and information from its sources.

Describing the death as a grave breach of international human rights standards, JMBF said Bangladesh, as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, is obligated to provide prisoners with medical care equivalent to that available to the general population.

Under the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules, the state bears full responsibility for the health and wellbeing of those in detention, the organisation said, adding that these obligations were “clearly violated” in Chaki’s case.

Robert John Paul Simon, Chief Advisor of JMBF and a French human rights activist, said the death could not be considered natural. “This was the result of deliberate negligence, irresponsibility and structural failure within the prison system. It reflects institutional negligence and a lack of accountability,” he said, calling for the authorities to be held responsible.

The organisation urged the United Nations Human Rights Council, the European Union, international and regional human rights groups, and foreign diplomatic missions in Bangladesh to take urgent steps to hold the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government accountable for the incident.

JMBF also warned that Chaki’s death was part of a broader pattern of custodial deaths and systemic failures in the country’s detention system, requiring immediate international scrutiny.

With IANS inputs