Woman human rights defender Shampa Goswami at imminent risk of arrest
On 12 October 2026, woman human rights defender Shampa Goswami learned that a sedition case had been filed against her under Section 124A of the Penal Code of Bangladesh. At present, she faces an imminent risk of arrest.
Shampa Goswami is a woman human rights defender and the Executive Director of PRERONA based in Satkhira district, Bangladesh. PRERONA works on women's rights, the rights of marginalised communities, human rights, climate change, livelihoods, education and disaster management in coastal Satkhira.
She has faced threats, harassment and pressure because of her rights-based work since at least 2012, including after supporting a woman survivor of gang rape to file a complaint against the perpetrators. She was subsequently suspended from her post as a schoolteacher in Kaliganj, Satkhira. The forms of pressure have changed over time, but the harassment has repeatedly returned.
On 12 October 2026, woman human rights defender Shampa Goswami learned that a sedition case had been filed against her under Section 124A of the Penal Code of Bangladesh. At present, she faces an imminent risk of arrest.
Shampa Goswami is a woman human rights defender and the Executive Director of PRERONA based in Satkhira district, Bangladesh. PRERONA works on women's rights, the rights of marginalised communities, human rights, climate change, livelihoods, education and disaster management in coastal Satkhira. She has faced threats, harassment and pressure because of her rights-based work since at least 2012, including after supporting a woman survivor of gang rape to file a complaint against the perpetrators. She was subsequently suspended from her post as a schoolteacher in Kaliganj, Satkhira. The forms of pressure have changed over time, but the harassment has repeatedly returned.
On 29 September 2026, a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged in Shyamnagar Police Station, Satkhira. According to the FIR, Shampa Goswami is accused of making provocative remarks against the elected government and State at a public gathering held at her office on 14 August 2026. Sedition, under Section 124A of the Penal Code of Bangladesh, is a non-bailable offence carrying a penalty of three years up to life imprisonment. The woman human rights defender is at imminent risk of arrest and prolonged pre-trial detention.
The FIR was lodged after she had received notice on 28 September 2026 of a police investigation against her on allegations of corruption and misuse of funds, ordered by the Ministry of Home Affairs on 17 September 2026. The FIR was lodged over six weeks after the public gathering at her office took place.
Previously, on 21 August 2026, Shampa Goswami was stopped at the airport and prevented from travelling to Bali, Indonesia, where she was scheduled to participate in an international conference, following a travel restriction imposed by authorities. On 20 September 2026, she filed a writ petition before the High Court of Bangladesh challenging the travel ban and is awaiting a hearing date.
Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned by the imminent risk of arrest for Shampa Goswami and the sedition case filed against her, which seems to be directly connected with her peaceful human rights activities. The organisation reiterates its concern that such measures form part of a prolonged pattern of harassment that has been documented against her, aimed at obstructing her legitimate human rights work.
Front Line Defenders calls on the authorities in Bangladesh to:
- Drop all criminal investigations into woman human rights defender Shampa Goswami;
- Ensure that all forms of harassment against Shampa Goswami, her family and the PRERONA organisation, cease;
- Guarantee in all circumstances that all human rights defenders in Bangladesh, including women human rights defenders and defenders from minority communities, are able to carry out their peaceful and legitimate human rights activities without fear of reprisals and free from arbitrary restrictions, including judicial and administrative harassment.
