Bangladesh’s interim government, formed after the ousting of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, is under increasing pressure to implement sweeping institutional reforms to prevent the resurgence of political repression, according to a report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) released on Tuesday (28 January).
The 50-page report, After the Monsoon Revolution: A Roadmap to Lasting Security Sector Reform in Bangladesh, underscores the need for legal and institutional overhauls to safeguard human rights, ensure judicial independence, and prevent security forces from being used as political tools.
HRW has called for immediate UN oversight, including technical assistance and monitoring, to ensure that reforms remain intact beyond the tenure of the interim government.
Road to Reform
For over 15 years, Hasina’s Awami League government employed enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture to stifle dissent, HRW said.
Judicial institutions and oversight bodies were systematically weakened, allowing security forces to act with near-total impunity.
HRW’s report cites testimonies from police officials who admitted that party loyalty often superseded professional merit, turning the police force into an extension of the ruling party.
Muhammad Yunus, appointed head of the interim government by student activists following Hasina’s departure, has pledged to restore democratic governance.
His administration has annulled politically motivated cases and initiated legal action against security officials involved in past abuses.
In February, a commission led by Yunus is set to begin implementing recommendations from six advisory bodies focusing on electoral, judicial, administrative, and security sector reforms.
Political Retaliation and Systemic Weaknesses
Despite these efforts, HRW warns that Bangladesh risks falling into another cycle of political vendetta.
Since the interim government took office, over 1,000 police cases have been filed, implicating tens of thousands of individuals—primarily Awami League members—in allegations ranging from corruption to murder.
More than 400 Awami League leaders and ministers are currently under investigation.
HRW has urged authorities to ensure due process, warning that mass criminal complaints based on flimsy evidence undermine justice rather than uphold it.
The report also highlights disturbing cases of politically motivated intimidation.
Families of two individuals killed during the anti-Hasina protests allege that opposition leaders pressured them into signing police complaints against unspecified individuals to secure state recognition of their losses and financial compensation.
Human Rights Violations Persist
Despite the government’s promises, repression continues, HRW states.
Reports indicate that journalists perceived to have been aligned with the previous administration are being targeted, with at least 140 facing murder charges for their reporting on the Monsoon Revolution.
Additionally, more than 150 press accreditations have been revoked, and sedition charges have been filed against 19 individuals accused of desecrating the national flag.
The report also documents alarming cases of communal violence, with allegations that police have failed to protect Hindus and other minority groups from attacks.
A recently proposed ordinance to replace the Cyber Security Act—previously used to suppress free speech—has retained many of its most draconian provisions.
Enforced Disappearances and the Shadow of the Past
On 14 December, the national commission investigating enforced disappearances issued its first findings, estimating that over 3,500 individuals were forcibly disappeared under Hasina’s rule.
The report implicates Hasina herself, along with senior officials, including Major Generals Tarique Ahmed Siddique and Ziaul Ahsan, in overseeing the disappearances.
HRW cites testimonies from security personnel confirming that secret detention facilities operated under direct government orders.
Following Hasina’s departure, three men previously held in secret detention were released, their families having been denied any information about their whereabouts for years.
One of them, lawyer Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem, described his detention as “a worse-than-death experience,” with HRW concluding that torture was not only systematic but institutionalised.
Call for Structural Change
HRW has urged the interim government to act on the recommendations of the national commission of inquiry, including disbanding the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), a counterterrorism unit widely accused of extrajudicial executions and torture.
The current RAB chief, AKM Shahidur Rahman, has publicly acknowledged the existence of secret detention centres and stated that the force would accept a government decision to dissolve the unit.
In a significant move, Bangladesh has acceded to the UN Convention on Enforced Disappearances.
HRW recommends further steps, such as ratifying the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and inviting international rights bodies to conduct independent inspections.
Ensuring Lasting Reform
Bangladesh’s history of politically motivated law enforcement remains a formidable challenge.
To break this cycle, HRW has called for the establishment of independent civilian oversight over security forces, including empowering the national human rights commission with authority to conduct unannounced inspections of detention facilities.
HRW also urges the interim government to enforce international standards on the use of force and hold violators accountable.
Furthermore, HRW has called upon donor countries to condition security assistance on tangible institutional reforms.
It has also urged the UN Human Rights Council to introduce a resolution at its March 2025 session, mandating continued monitoring of Bangladesh’s human rights situation.
Elaine Pearson, Asia Director at HRW, stressed the importance of institutional safeguards: “Bangladesh’s interim government has the monumental task of undoing 15 years of entrenched autocracy. Without swift and meaningful reforms, the abuses of the past could become the blueprint for its future.”
