Human Rights Updates 🇧🇩

#JamaatEIslami supporters attack and vandalise the shrine of Hazrat Shah Ali in #Dhaka; this is the second such incident under the #BNP Govt, following on from the 100+ Sufi shrines attacked under the #Yunus-led Interim Govt. Supporters of Jamaat E Islami MP Mir Ahmad Bin Quasem attacked the shrine of Sufi mystique Hazrat Shah Ali in Dhaka's #Mirpur area last night. Witnesses and staff of the shrine said around 100 attackers swooped on the shrine and its devotees chanting "Allahu Akbar". News: youtu.be/0bY4QFYylps?si=ZmnQ… This marks the second violent attack on a Sufi shrine since the BNP Govt assumed office around three months ago. Previously, on April 11, 2026, an #Islamist mob attacked a Sufi shrine in #Kushtia, where a pir (spiritual leader) was beaten to death and the shrine vandalised and set on fire. See: teapawt.net/i/status/2043206203380… Violent attacks on Sufi shrines had already become increasingly common under the Yunus-led Interim Govt. During roughly one and a half years of Yunus’s rule, around 100 Sufi shrines were reportedly attacked, mostly by Islamist mobs, often with the involvement or support of activists linked to right-wing political parties in Bangladesh. See: dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/… According to the Human Rights Support Society (HRSS), more than 100 incidents of attacks on shrines were recorded between Aug 2024 and Apr 2026. Despite nearly 100 incidents, only 12 cases were filed. Most investigations have seen little or no meaningful progress, with few arrests made in the majority of cases. In these attacks, at least 3 people were killed and more than 200 injured, including women. .... …. #BangladeshCrisis @StateIRF @USCIRF @nadinemaenza @FOREF_EU @hrcbm @Tkbaul @NazilaGhanea @hrw @amnesty @MinoritiesSouth @FOREF_EU @ESandersFCDO @PearsonElaine @amnestysasia @MinorityRights @paulocasaca1 @CJBdingo25 @Chellaney @EURightsAgency

#Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari has now spent more than 17 months in detention without trial. Although eight criminal cases have been filed against him, many believe that his real “offence” was speaking out against attacks on religious #minorities in #Bangladesh during the tenure of the Interim Govt. The question now is: why does the #BNP Govt appear to be continuing the same approach as the #Yunus Regime in persecuting a prominent advocate for minority rights? Tomorrow, the High Court is scheduled to rule on bail petitions in four of the pending cases against Chinmoy, who also serves as spokesperson for the “Bangladesh Sanatan Jagaran Mancha”. He faces eight cases in total, including allegations of #murder and #sedition. Chinmoy has already secured bail in three cases before both the High Court and lower courts. However, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court subsequently stayed the High Court’s order granting him bail in the sedition case. News:
 thedailystar.net/news/crime-… It is important to note that Chinmoy was first arrested on Nov 25, 2024, in connection with the sedition allegation and has remained in custody ever since. The other alleged offences, including the murder case, relate to incidents said to have occurred while he was already imprisoned. The sedition case itself was filed by a #BNP leader who was later suspended by the party for initiating the complaint. Despite what critics describe as weak factual and legal foundations underlying many of the allegations, Chinmoy’s bail petitions have repeatedly been rejected by both lower and higher courts for the last one and a half years. Many observers expected that Chinmoy would struggle to receive impartial treatment from the #judiciary during the Yunus Regime, because his activism drew international attention to #violence against religious minorities following the political change in Bangladesh in Aug 2024. What remains more difficult to understand for many however, is why the current #TariqueRahman-led BNP Govt also appears willing to deploy the full machinery of the state against a Hindu monk advocating for minority rights. Will Chinmoy Krishna Das finally receive relief from the High Court tomorrow? Or will his prolonged pre-trial detention continue amid ongoing allegations of political influence over the judicial process? ….. #BangladeshCrisis @MinorityRights @NazilaGhanea @USCIRF @StateIRF @CIVICUSalliance @hrw @INSIGHTUK2 @FOREF_EU @Tkbaul @hrcbm @ESandersFCDO @Chellaney @MinoritiesSouth @hindupost @HinduPACT @UtsavSanduja @CoHNAOfficial @MEAIndia @HinduVoice_in @HinduHate @hinduphobia_tr @CNNbelief @canada_hindu @austhindu @paulocasaca1 @CJBdingo25 @colhari2 @satishbpuri

Extra-judicial killings, one of the gravest #humanrights violations under int’l law, have risen in #Bangladesh over the past year under the #Yunus Govt. From Aug 2024 to Jul 2025, law enforcement and security forces killed at least 35 people extrajudicially, according to data from Ain o Salish Kendra (AsK). This marks a sharp increase compared to the 22 cases reported during the same period a year earlier, under the #AwamiLeague Govt. AsK’s monthly breakdown shows: 5 killings in Sept 2024, 3 in Oct, 1 in Nov, 3 in Dec, 5 in Jan 2025, 4 in Feb, 1 in Mar, 2 in Apr, 1 in May, 2 in Jun, and 8 in Jul. Despite repeated promises, the Interim Govt has failed not only to stop this practice but also to investigate or prosecute most cases. Human rights activists note that only one or two incidents saw trial or inquiry, while the overwhelming majority remain unaddressed. News ↓ newagebd.net/post/country/27… When Muhammad Yunus assumed power, he declared that “human rights would be the cornerstone” of his government. Some cornerstone. ….. #BangladeshCrisis @amnestysasia @meeganguly @hrw @PearsonElaine @ESandersFCDO @StateDRL @DRL_AS @State_SCA @RFKHumanRights @fidh_en @forum_asia @FortifyRights @BonaveroIHR @UNHumanRights @HRF @volker_turk @omctorg @KerryKennedyRFK @OHCHRAsia @FCDOHumanRights @EURightsAgency @humanrightsasia @DKAmbBD @SwedeninBD @NorwayAmbBD @GerAmbBD @IBAHRI @Ginitastar @SRjudgeslawyers @Irenekhan @AFP

In the latest report titled “#Bangladesh: Year since Hasina Fled, Rights Challenges Abound”, @hrw identified several areas where Muhammad #Yunus is failing to live up to his pledge of building a govt in which “#humanrights is the cornerstone”. They include: - Arbitrary Detentions and Mass Arrests: HRW says, “…the interim government has used arbitrary detention to target perceived political opponents and has yet to deliver systemic reforms to protect human rights”. It highlighted the violence in Gopalganj, where police arbitrarily detained hundreds of alleged AL supporters, and filed ten murder cases against over 8,400 mostly unnamed people. It also noted the infamous “Operation Devil” which resulted in 8,400 (mostly opposition activists) being detained in February. - Wholesale Cases and Pre-Trial Detentions: HRW noted the abuse of the murder and attempted murder cases filed in relation to the July-Aug 2024 unrest to exact vengeance against AL leaders and supporters. It stated: “Between Aug 6 and Sep 25, 2024, police lodged cases against 92,486 people, most of them related to murder. Nearly 400 former ministers, members of parliament, and other Awami League officials have been named in over 1,170 cases, which also include hundreds of unnamed individuals”. HRW also highlighted the situation of former Mayor of Dhaka North as a case study: “Mohammad Atiqul Islam, the former mayor of North Dhaka, has been detained since October 2024 in connection with at least 68 separate cases of murder or attempted murder during the 2024 protests. But 36 of these incidents occurred while he was outside the country. As in most other cases, the authorities have not filed charges. Detainees in other high profile political cases have also cited baseless grounds for arrest, and accused the authorities of denying them medical care and bail.” - Extra Judicial Killings: HRW highlighted the recent shooting incidents in Gopalganj by security forces to show how extra judicial killings have continued under the Yunus Govt. It stated: “On July 16, violence involving security forces and supporters of Hasina’s now banned Awami League killed five people in the town of Gopalganj after the National Citizen Party, formed by students who had participated in last year’s popular movement, held a rally there.” - General State of Affairs: The HRW report also paints a bleak picture of governance generally under the Yunus Govt affecting journalists, women, LGBTQ communities, religious and ethnic minorities, among others. It stated: “The government is facing enormous challenges including an alarming surge in mob violence, political violence, and harassment of journalists by political parties and other non-state groups, such as religious hardliners hostileto women’s rights and LGBTQ people. On July 26 and 27, a mob damaged at least 14 homes belonging to members of the Hindu minority in Rangpur district, and there are continuing violations against minority communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.” See full report: hrw.org/news/2025/07/30/bang… …… #BangladeshCrisis #HumanRights @meeganguly @amnesty @PearsonElaine @amnestysasia @AgnesCallamard @HRF @Ginitastar @SRjudgeslawyers @Irenekhan @omctorg @UNHumanRights @volker_turk @RFKHumanRights @AFP @KerryKennedyRFK @fidh_en @forum_asia @FortifyRights @SSabihaAlam @MujMash @AP @anbarasanethi @HannahEP @BonaveroIHR @TheDavidBergman @ESandersFCDO @FCDOHumanRights @EURightsAgency @HumanRightsCtte @CatherineWest1 @AndrewRosindell @DavidLammy @State_SCA @GERonSouthAsia @CWhiteleyEU @ReutersAsia @GwynLewis12 @antonioguterres @HCSarahCooke @cnni