Published: May 22, 2025, 06:43 PM
Human Rights Watch has accused Bangladesh’s interim government of undermining fundamental rights through repressive legal measures and failing to uphold its commitment to justice and accountability for past human rights abuses.
In a statement released Thursday, the New York-based rights group said the interim administration, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has mirrored authoritarian tactics of the ousted Awami League government by targeting its supporters, while proposed legislation on enforced disappearances falls short of international human rights standards.
The warning comes in the wake of a “temporary” ban imposed on the Awami League on 12 May, using newly expanded powers under an amendment to the Anti-Terrorism Act. The ban prohibits all party-related activities, including meetings, publications, and online speech—effectively criminalising political expression linked to one of Bangladesh’s oldest political organisations. The Election Commission has since revoked the party’s registration.
“The interim government pledged to restore democratic values, but instead is eroding them by restricting free expression and political association,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Silencing Awami League supporters with draconian laws replicates the very abuses that brought the previous regime into disrepute.”
Human Rights Watch also raised alarm over a controversial ordinance amending the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, which now empowers the Tribunal to prosecute and dismantle political organisations deemed to support banned entities. The group warned that the law’s vague definitions and expansive scope could be used arbitrarily, violating due process and free speech protections.
The crackdown follows the violent collapse of Sheikh Hasina’s government on 5 August 2024, after weeks of protests left some 1,400 people dead. The interim government promised a democratic transition, including accountability for crimes committed during Hasina’s 15-year rule. However, HRW said that promise is being overshadowed by selective justice and politically motivated detentions. Actors, lawyers, and activists have reportedly been arrested on murder charges for allegedly supporting what prosecutors described as the “rule of fascist Hasina.”
Meanwhile, the group criticised the interim administration’s handling of enforced disappearance cases—one of the most serious legacies of the Awami League era. Although a commission of inquiry was formed in August 2024 and has so far documented 1,676 complaints, proposed legislation to address disappearances fails to incorporate the commission’s findings and omits crimes committed in a “widespread or systematic” manner, which account for most of the known cases.
The proposed law also lacks safeguards to ensure the independence of the new bodies it would establish—namely a National Commission and a special Tribunal on Enforced Disappearances. HRW said the legislation sets a higher bar for holding superiors accountable than international standards and includes the death penalty, which it called “inherently abusive and incompatible with human rights.”
Families of victims, some of whom still await news of their missing relatives, continue to face intimidation. The rights group cited the recent police raid on the home of Sanjida Islam, coordinator of the victims’ network Mayer Daak, as part of a broader pattern of harassment.
Human Rights Watch urged the interim government to reverse the political ban, ensure fair trials based on credible evidence, and prioritise justice for past human rights violations without resorting to repression.
“There is justified public anger over the Awami League’s abuses, but stripping its supporters of basic rights undermines the very principles the interim government claims to uphold,” Ganguly said. “Justice must be pursued lawfully, not politically.”
