Protests in Bangladesh shake a global workshop for apparel

The police have accused the activists of inciting vandalism and other crimes

At first, the police knocked. Then they tried to kick the door down.

Protests over low wages had erupted at dozens of garment factories in Bangladesh, one of the top suppliers of clothing for global brands like H&M and Gap, and the officers had come to question Jahangir Alam, the president of a local trade union in Ashulia, a suburb of the capital, Dhaka. They told his wife that he would be back within a few hours.

That was a month ago.

Instead, his wife said, Alam has sat in a jail cell so dark he could not see his