Transfeminist and rights activist Ho Chi Minh Islam has alleged that Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) President Zillur Rahman personally asked her not to attend this year's Bay of Bengal Conversation.
She said Zillur instructed her to keep the matter confidential, even from members of her own community.
In a detailed statement published on her verified Facebook profile, Ho Chi Minh said she had travelled to Bangladesh from Germany specifically to attend the conference after receiving confirmation of her participation and a subsequent invitation to speak at a studio session.
But on October 2, a day before the conference began, Zillur called her and advised her to stay away, citing concerns about her safety.
"He told me not to attend the conference. He asked me not to tell anyone — not even members of my own community. He said he would explain later," she wrote.
The activist said she sensed fear in Zillur's voice during the conversation.
"When the head of the organising institution tells you not to attend a conference because of concerns for your safety, how are you supposed to walk through its doors?" she asked.
"That is why I did not attend the conference."
Ho Chi Minh said she had attended the Bay of Bengal Conversation for the previous two years and had consistently found Zillur supportive of transgender people and other marginalised communities.
She said she continued to respect him for creating opportunities for communities frequently excluded from public discussions.
This year, she initially registered as a participant and received confirmation from CGS.
As she was pursuing her PhD abroad, a Germany-based organisation paid for her return airfare.
Days before the conference, a CGS representative invited her by email to speak at a studio session alongside Thailand-based Mia Huyen, who works on gender equality, disability and social inclusion.
Ho Chi Minh arrived in Dhaka on October 1.
That evening, she discovered that CGS had used her photograph in promotional material for the conference. The publicity was followed by an online campaign opposing her participation.
She said remarks by National Citizen Party leader Sarjis Alam intensified the hostility towards her and the wider transgender community.
On October 2, she sent a screenshot of the campaign to a CGS representative, asking whether it could create problems.
"I don't think so," the representative replied, according to her account.
But later that evening, Zillur contacted her through Whatsapp and asked to speak urgently.
During the subsequent telephone conversation, he reminded her of his longstanding support for her community before advising her against attending.
Ho Chi Minh said she accepted the advice, asking only that the organisation financing her travel be informed. CGS subsequently removed her promotional poster.
The Dissent, a fact-checking outlet, independently established that online claims suggesting Ho Chi Minh was scheduled to share a stage with Dr Zubaida Rahman were false.
CGS director Subir Das told the outlet that the two were not scheduled to appear together. The outlet also reported that Ho Chi Minh's name and promotional photograph were removed from CGS platforms following inquiries about the controversy.
Ho Chi Minh said she was subsequently informed that her name had appeared on a list of guests allegedly barred from entering the conference venue by the Special Security Force (SSF) on October 3.
She emphasised that she had been unable to independently verify the claim. She demanded to know whether such a list existed, who had included her name and on what grounds.
She also questioned whether CGS had made the decision independently or under external pressure.
"Whether CGS acted independently or under pressure, it owes an explanation for its decision," she wrote. Her respect for Zillur, she added, did not remove the need for accountability.
She asked why the response to possible threats against her had been to exclude her rather than address those responsible for the threats.
"If threats were made against me, what action was taken against those responsible?" she asked.
"Why was my absence chosen as the solution?"
She argued that allowing hostility to determine who could participate in public discussions undermined the principles such forums claimed to uphold.
For transgender and gender-diverse Bangladeshis, she said, exclusion in the name of safety was a familiar experience in educational institutions, workplaces, housing and everyday life.
"We are made visible so that we can become targets of hatred. Then, in the name of safety, we are told to become invisible again."
Ho Chi Minh called on conference participants, journalists, donor organisations and human rights groups to demand an explanation from CGS.
"Bangladesh is our country as well," she wrote, insisting that safety must include the freedom to participate in public life.
The allegations concerning Zillur's private conversation and the purported security restrictions remain based on her account. Daily Waadaa has not independently verified the telephone conversation or the alleged SSF list.
No response from Zillur or CGS to these specific allegations was available for inclusion in this report.
The fifth Bay of Bengal Conversation took place at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka from October 3 to 5.
Organised by CGS, the three-day conference brought together political leaders, diplomats, academics, business executives, journalists and civil society representatives for discussions on geopolitics, security, technology, governance and human rights.
This year's theme was Fragments, Frontiers, Futures: Navigating Power, Technology and Trust in a World Rewritten.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated the event.
Ahead of the conference, CGS said it expected approximately 200 speakers, more than 300 delegates and over 1,000 participants from more than 100 countries.
Among the prominent international participants were former Serbian President Boris Tadić, former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed and former Malian Prime Minister Moussa Mara.
At an October 2 press briefing, Zillur described the forum as an independent, non-partisan platform where people could encounter perspectives they might otherwise miss.
"We want them to come because this is a place where serious ideas can be discussed openly," he said.
The conference featured public plenaries, leadership discussions, interviews and invitation-only roundtables.
CGS has sought to position the annual gathering as an important international dialogue platform connecting Bangladesh with the wider Indo-Pacific region.
Ho Chi Minh's account, however, places the institution's commitment to inclusive participation under scrutiny.
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