In March 2002, Dr. Alamgir was arrested without charges and tortured in government custody. The erstwhile BNP government later filed almost a dozen cases against him, including treason and sedition. In none of the cases was he found guilty of any wrongdoing. An international campaign was mounted to release him. Amnesty International, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Physicians for Human Rights, the Committee of Concerned Scientists, and Scholars at Risk were among many international organizations that demanded his release. US Senator Edward Kennedy and Congressman Frank Pallone also intervened on his behalf. More than 12,000 individual emails from around the world were sent to the government asking for his freedom. Eventually the government released him in October 2002.
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 On May 10, 2002, AAAS, the world's largest association of scientists and academics, issued an urgent appeal (No. ba0209_ala) to secure freedom for Dr. Alamgir. The content of the appeal is posted below. |
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 On 11 April 2002, the Asian Human Rights Commission issued an urgent appeal (No. FA-5-2002) about the arbitrary detention and torture of Dr. Alamgir. The content of the appeal is posted here.
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 CCS is an independent organization of scientists, physicians and engineers dedicated to the protection and advancement of the human rights and scientific freedom of colleagues throughout the world. CCS sent an urgent letter to the Prime Minister on 24 May 2002. Here is the full text of the letter:
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 Established in 1817, the Academy is an international organization committed to advancing science, technology, and society worldwide. It has over 30,000 members in more than 150 countries. On 13 May 2002, the Academy's Committee on Human Rights sent an urgent letter to the Prime Minister expressing concern at the serious violation of human rights in Dr. Alamgir's case.
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 Based in Geneva, Switzerland, OMCT (World Organization Against Torture) is the largest international coalition of NGOs fighting against torture,summary executions, forced disappearances and all other forms of cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment in order to preserve human rights. Its network spans 240 NGOs and its urgent interventions reach more than 90,000 governmental and intergovernmental institutions, non-governmental associations, pressure and interest groups. View OMCT worldwide alert dated 9 April 2002. Case BGD 090402. |
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 PHR is the co-winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize for Peace. The goal of PHR is to promote health by protecting human rights. It investigates government-sponsored killings, torture, and abuses of human rights, On 16 April 2002, PHR sent an urgent letter to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, urging immediate attention to the violations of Dr. Alamgir's human rights.
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 SAR is a network of more than 70 universities and institutions, formed to promote academic freedom and defend the human rights of scholars worldwide. SAR was established in 2000. Scholars at Risk sent a letter to the Bangladesh government on 25 June 2002, expressing concern about his well-being and basic rights and urging his speedy release.
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 Based in Kathmandu, Nepal, and set up in 1990, SAFHR promotes human rights and democracy in the South Asian Region. On 10 April 2002, SAFHR sent an urgent letter to Prime Minister Khaleda Zia documenting the violation of rights and requesting her urgent intervention.
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Political Persecution 
In June 2002, 