By 
GHRD and partners in front of United Nations Geneva. April 13, 2025.
On March 13, 2025, Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD) organized a protest at the Broken Chair in front of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. The protest expressed GHRD’s grave concerns about the ongoing systematic human rights violations in the State of Bangladesh and was accompanied by the participation of several Bangladeshi civil society actors. Hindu, Buddhist and Christian minorities, along with Indigenous communities, continue to face systemic repression, discrimination and persecution. The protestors demanded that these atrocities must stop immediately and that perpetrators urgently need to be brought to justice. GHRD organized this protest to reiterate that it stands in strong solidarity with its partners in Bangladesh and joins them in their call for action.
The wave of violence that began amidst the protests in August 2024 has further escalated under the new administration of the interim-government, with reports of targeted assaults on religious and ethnic minorities, destruction of property, and desecration of cultural and religious sites, especially in the Chittagong Hills. It is essential that the interim-government under Professor Yunus ensures that such violations are appropriately addressed and prevented.
The protest highlighted that the international community cannot remain silent in the face of these ongoing violations. GHRD and its partners call for concerted efforts to restore a situation of democracy and civil society in Bangladesh. Comprehensive reforms of the judicial system and the security sector are required to guarantee a fair and just Bangladesh for all. We also strongly urge the international community to demand for justice and accountability to be ensured and to work towards a referral of the situation in Bangladesh to the International Criminal Court.
GHRD and partners in front of United Nations Geneva
After the successful protest, GHRD presented a memorandum to the United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, calling for the immediate release of Chinmoy Prabhu Das who is currently arbitrarily detained on sedition charges in the Chittagong Central Jail, the establishment of a permanent office of the High Commissioner in Bangladesh, and an end to the atrocities against minorities in the country.
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