Farhad has been in a Saudi prison for six months, family seeks his release
- Family does not know why he was detained
- No progress despite an application seeking his release
Graphics: Agamir Somoy
Abul Hasan Farhad (25), left for Saudi Arabia four years ago with dreams of bringing financial stability to his struggling family. As the only son, he hoped to make his parents smile and ease the family’s hardships with his overseas earnings. But that dream has now turned into a nightmare. Farhad has been detained in a prison in the Dammam area of Saudi Arabia for six months. His family does not know why he was imprisoned. His mother’s tears have not stopped since she learned of her son’s detention. His family is counting the days until his release.
Farhad is the elder of two children of Bulbul Ahmed of the Mofizur Rahman household in North Tarakucha village under Amzadhat Union in Fulgazi upazila of Feni. After passing the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examination from the local Amzadhat High School, he worked for several years at a clothing store in Amzadhat Bazar.
Four years ago, Farhad moved to Saudi Arabia with the help of his maternal uncle Nur Nabi, who was already living there. He found a job at a supermarket in Dammam Super Market. His life abroad was going well. However, everything suddenly changed one day.
Farhad’s maternal grandfather, Mofizur Rahman, told Agamir Somoy that they learned from his son in law Nur Nabi that Farhad had been taken away by unidentified people from a neighborhood near Dammam Super Market about five months ago. However, they received no information about who took him or why.
“About a month ago, Farhad called home and told us that he was being held in a prison in Saudi Arabia. However, he could not tell us why he was being held there,” Mofizur Rahman added.
Farhad’s father, Bulbul Ahmed, has been living in Karachi, Pakistan, for 20 years. He is devastated by the news of his son’s detention.
“My son had a good reputation in his area. Everyone knew him as a good boy. He never had any problems with anyone. We have no idea why he has been detained,” he said.
Bulbul Ahmed said an application had been submitted through the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia seeking his son’s release. However, he claimed there had been no progress so far.
“To the best of my knowledge, my son could not have committed any wrongdoing,” Farhad’s mother Ferdous Akter said through tears. For the first few months, Farhad’s family believed he was missing. They learned a month ago that he was in prison. Ferdous Akter appealed to the government for assistance in securing her son’s release.
Farhad’s maternal aunt Nargis Akter and maternal uncle Sarowar Jahan Rubel alleged that they had repeatedly sought information but had been unable to determine why he was being detained.
Farhad’s childhood friends Minhazul Islam Sayem and Priyam Mahmud appealed for the intervention of the Bangladesh Embassy in Saudi Arabia to secure their friend’s release. They said Farhad had been their companion since childhood.
