Bangladeshi Model Meghna Alam jailed without charges, supporters claim political targeting

Prominent Bangladeshi model Meghna Alam has been sentenced to 30 days in jail under the Special Powers Act by the government led by Prime Minister Muhammad Younus.

The 30-year-old’s father, Badrul Alam, said her arrest followed a relationship with the then Saudi ambassador to Dhaka.

The arrest has sparked controversy, with her supporters claiming she is being detained without any formal charges.

The incident came to public attention late on the night of April 9, when Alam conducted a live stream on Facebook.

In the video, she alleged that members of the Detective Branch (DB) of Bangladesh Police were forcibly entering her residence in Dhaka to arrest her.

The video has since gone viral on social media, prompting widespread concern and speculation.

According to individuals close to Alam, the government has not provided any specific legal justification for her detention.

Human rights advocates and opposition figures have raised alarms, describing the arrest as politically motivated and a violation of due process.

The government has yet to issue a detailed statement on the matter.

Alam, known both for her modeling career and vocal presence on social media, has previously criticized various political figures and institutions, adding to concerns that her arrest may be part of a broader crackdown on dissent.

Her supporters are calling for her immediate release and demanding transparency from authorities regarding the circumstances of her arrest and detention.

According to reports in Bangladeshi media, police said that Alam tried to extort '$5 million through coercion' from Essa Yousef, who left the country recently after serving as ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Bangladesh.

In a now-since-deleted Facebook post, Alam claimed: "The Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh, Essa Yousef, is taking up people by police, fearmongering that I should not post the truth on social media."

According to her father and posts on social media, Meghna was allegedly engaged to Yousef and found out that he was already married.

“The ambassador and Meghna were in a relationship, and my daughter refused his marriage proposal because he already has a wife and children,” claimed Badrul Alam, the model's father, as quoted in Bangladeshi media.

Soon, Alam started speaking out publicly, including social media posts claiming she had received threats and was not safe.

Meghna Alam is a model, beauty queen and activist who won Miss Earth Bangladesh 2020. 

According to her Facebook profile, Meghna Alam founded the Miss Bangladesh Organization and Miss Bangladesh Foundation.

Miss Bangladesh Organization selects models for beauty pageants, while her foundation engages them in social causes.

On Sunday (Apr 13), government advisor Asif Nazrul admitted that the arrest of Alam was not done in a proper manner.

“There are some allegations against her, but he arrest under the Special Powers Act was not carried out properly,” he told reporters.

The police, for its part, claimed that she was arrested for 'falsely accusing important individuals' to threaten Bangladesh's diplomatic ties.

“These important individuals are foreign nationals,” AFP news agency quoted police spokesperson Muhammad Talebur Rahman as saying.