Promised reforms still elusive after uprising
Staff Reporter :
The interim administration led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus is falling behind on its human rights obligations, even a year after the popular uprising that led to the ouster of the Awami League government, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report published on Wednesday.
According to HRW, while some forms of repression prevalent under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year tenure-such as enforced disappearances-have reportedly diminished, new concerns have emerged.
The watchdog accused the interim government of resorting to arbitrary detentions targeting political opponents and failing to enact the institutional reforms necessary to protect fundamental rights.
“The hopes of thousands who bravely took to the streets, often facing brutal state violence in their call for a democratic and rights-respecting government, remain largely unmet,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s Deputy Asia Director.
She added, “The interim administration appears paralysed, struggling with an unreformed security sector, sporadic violence from religious hardliners, and political groups more focused on retaliating against former Awami League supporters than ensuring public safety or rights protections.”
HRW noted that despite receiving reform proposals from 11 commissions formed in 2024, as well as recommendations from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and several national and international rights organisations, the government has yet to take meaningful action.
The report also highlighted increasing concerns over mob violence, politically motivated clashes, and harassment of journalists.
It cited incidents involving extremist groups and political activists who have targeted minorities and marginalised communities, including women’s and LGBTQ+ rights advocates.
Particularly alarming were the mob attacks on Hindu households in Rangpur on 26 and 27 July, and ongoing rights violations reported in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. HRW recalled that Sheikh Hasina left the country on 5 August 2024 following five weeks of mass protests, which UN sources estimate resulted in at least 1,400 deaths due to state violence.
The interim government, led by Professor Yunus, assumed office on 8 August.
However, the report underscores that incidents of torture and deaths in custody continue to be reported, underlining the pressing need for comprehensive security sector reform.
One such incident occurred on 16 July in Gopalganj, where clashes erupted between security forces and Awami League supporters gathered to counter a rally by the National Citizen Party, a political group formed by former student protest leaders. The confrontation resulted in five fatalities.
HRW expressed concern over the subsequent response by law enforcement, which included mass detentions of suspected Awami League affiliates and the filing of ten murder cases naming over 8,400 mostly unnamed individuals. Authorities have denied characterising these as mass arrests.