He was arrested without warrants or charges, has not been produced before a magistrate, and has not been allowed access to family or lawyers.

His father, Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury, was a prominent member of the Bangladesh National Party, which was in government from Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 until 2011. On losing power his father was arrested and put on trial for a series of war crimes dating back to the war of independence. This trial was flagged up by Amnesty International as being a show trial; there were 41 prosecution witnesses and only four allowed for his defence. Testimonies from the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and a former US Ambassador to Bangladesh were not accepted. Salahuddin was convicted in 2013 and was executed in November last year. Several other members of the BNP were also purged and executed.

Hummam, who returned to Bangladesh some years back, had been prominent during the trial and appeal process trying to promote justice and get a fair trial.

On the morning of August 4 he was taken by plain clothes security forces while en route to court with his mother. Witnesses said several men in plain clothes – some of whom were armed – forced him to leave the car and come with them. He has since been detained indefinitely, along with several other members of the BNP. Amnesty International have been campaigning for his release but without success.

“There is no question that [he is] subject to an enforced disappearance in the custody of the security forces. Yet the government continues to deny having him,” said Champa Patel, South Asia Director at Amnesty International. “This is a practice which has unfortunately become completely routine in Bangladesh, and has to end.”

Although the authorities have denied holding him, multiple credible sources have said he was at the headquarters of the Rapid Action Battalion in Dhaka a week after his arrest and he has since been moved to various holding centres.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch both note that Bangladeshi security forces have an extensive and well-documented history of custodial abuse, including torture and other ill-treatment. Given this history, there is a real risk of harm during detention and interrogation.