Staff Reporter :
The United States Department of State has reported that Bangladesh’s human rights situation has improved since the political upheaval of July last year, although significant concerns remain.
In its 2024 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Bangladesh, the State Department observed that under the former government, there were credible accounts of serious violations.
These included arbitrary or unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, arbitrary detention, transnational repression targeting individuals abroad, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression and the media – including threats and violence against journalists, unwarranted arrests and prosecutions, and censorship.
The report also highlighted major curbs on workers’ rights to association, violence and intimidation against labour activists, and a high incidence of the worst forms of child labour.
According to the report, the previous administration rarely took meaningful action to investigate or prosecute security personnel and officials implicated in abuses, resulting in widespread impunity.
In July 2024, weeks of mass student-led protests and violent clashes – which left hundreds dead, allegedly at the hands of police and Awami League youth activists – culminated in the departure of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on 5 August. Three days later, the president appointed an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus as Chief Adviser.
Since taking office, the interim administration has arrested members of the former government accused of rights violations. Human rights groups and media outlets have documented serious abuses by the Awami League’s student wing, the Bangladesh Chhatra League, during the July-August unrest.
The report further notes that the interim government has cooperated with the United Nations and pursued justice through both the regular court system and the Bangladeshi International Criminal Tribunal in a bid to hold perpetrators accountable.
