evidence. Authorities did not always respect the right not to be compelled to testify or confess guilt, and defendants who did not confess were often kept in custody. Some defendants claimed police pressured the accused to confess under duress. The administrative process by which lower court and jail authorities were notified of the outcome of High Court appeals was very slow. On August 7, the High Court ordered a judicial inquiry into the matter of a defendant, Abul Kashem, who had been serving his sentence in a cell for seven years despite his acquittal by the appellate court. After publication of this news in an online newspaper, the High Court ordered his immediate release. In 2007, Kashem was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. In 2013, the High Court acquitted Kashem on appeal, but its order was not communicated to the prison authorities. Mobile courts headed by executive branch magistrates rendered immediate verdicts that often included prison terms for defendants who did not have the opportunity for legal representation. In December media reported the court granted the RAB additional time to submit its probe report in a high-profile case involving the killing of two journalists in 2012. This was the 94th deferral of the probe deadline. Law enforcement officials arrested and charged eight individuals with the double murder, but the RAB had not submitted its report. Political Prisoners and Detainees There were reports of political prisoners or detainees. Political affiliation often appeared to be a factor in claims of arrest and prosecution of members of opposition parties, including through spurious charges under the pretext of responding to national security threats. In June former prime minister and chairperson of the opposition political party BNP Khaleda Zia received permanent bail on two cases filed against her for hurting religious sentiments and making derogatory remarks against Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This granting of permanent bail followed several short-term extensions since 2020 when Zia’s sentence was first suspended on humanitarian grounds. In a separate case alleging abuse of power, Zia’s indictment hearing was Page 12