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Riots and protests in front of governmental office, by Antonio_Cansino via Pixabay, 28 March 2021.
The International Community investigates the events that followed the fall of the former government of Bangladesh in August 2024. During numerous clashes with the police, several witnesses have accused the government of breaching human rights by using weapons against the civilian population, resulting in many victims.
In August 2024, several protests across Bangladesh led to the fall of the repressive government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the creation of a temporary government led by Muhammad Yunus.
According to a piece of news published by Human Rights Watch in February 2025, a United Nations fact-finding Report documented how the country’s security forces committed human rights violations during the protests in August, highlighting their scale and severity. The responsible law enforcement agencies, namely the police, border guards, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and intelligence agencies perpetrated serious human rights violations to contain the protests, including extrajudicial killings, indiscriminate arrests, and torture. It is also estimated that security forces shot more than 1,400 people (Human Rights Watch, 2025).
Amnesty International has noted how this number highlights the disregard by Bangladeshi authorities for the right to life and other fundamental human rights. Further investigation has shown that the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly were also violated by the government, which imposed a total shutdown of the internet across the country and a permanent ban on protests across the whole country (Amnesty International, 2024). Videos, photos, and eyewitness testimonies have confirmed the persistent disregard for human rights apparent also in the police raiding hospitals and attacking those injured protesters who sought refuge there (Amnesty International, 2024).
The UN is now urging the Bangladeshi government to hold the security forces accountable for their actions and ensure their respect for the rule of law. Further recommendations include the request to Prime Minister Yunus to refer to the International Criminal Court all the incidents which took place between July 1st to August 15th in Bangladesh. In addition, the government is urged to implement thorough actions, such as guarantees of fair trial and due process during ongoing investigations (Reliefweb, 2025).
Although it promised in-depth reforms of the security sector to avoid similar violence outbreaks, the interim government has deployed security forces and the military to carry out “Operation Devil Hunt”, which led to the arrest of more than 2,000 supporters of the previous government and violent clashes between students and military forces organised under the Awami League. Such clashes resulted in hundreds of injured civilians.
Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, encouraged the interim government to ensure the impartial application of the rule of law and promote urgent reforms to the political system and economic governance. Nonetheless, more violent protests broke out after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, now exiled in India, announced she would address her supporters online in February. Her announcement was followed by fierce protests, which led to violent attacks on properties belonging to Hasina’s family.
The interim government has criticised Hasina for inciting violence and asked India to extradite her to face trial. However, Human Rights Watch underlines that the right to peaceful assembly and protest is a fundamental right protected under international law and should also be afforded even to the supporters of the former authoritarian government. The current Bangladesh government should protect this right and apply nonviolent means before the intervention of military forces.
The United Nations encouraged Prime Minister Yunus to attend the upcoming UN Human Rights Council Session in March to request technical assistance, further investigations into the human rights violations accusations, and intervention by UN-backed human rights experts to ease the communication between the two parties in the country. Furthermore, it was stressed that, to ensure lasting truth, justice, accountability, reparations, and future guarantees, a collaboration with UN mechanisms and bodies must be present.
This reflects the social tensions that started with the change of government in August 2024 and are still affecting Bangladesh at the time of writing. Although it is true that the origin of these violent acts goes back to the history of the country and stems from political and economic rivalries and struggles, the current government should work towards a solution to provide stability to its citizens. An intervention from the UN could help start the process of stabilisation, but the Bangladeshi government should be secure enough to continue and maintain such stability.
Sources and Further Readings:
Bangladesh: Critical UN report must spur accountability and justice. (2025, February 14). Relief Web. Accessed 20 February 2025. https://reliefweb.int/report/bangladesh/bangladesh-critical-un-report-must-spur-accountability-and-justice.
Bangladesh: Government must urgently halt mourning death toll of protestors.Amnesty International. (2024, July 19). Amnesty International. Accessed 15 February 2025. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/government-of-bangladesh-must-urgently-halt-mounting-death-toll-of-protestors/.
Bangladesh: Witness testimony, video and photographic analysis confirm police used unlawful force against protesters. (2024, July 17). Amnesty International. Accessed 20 February 2025. <https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/bangladesh-witness-testimony-video-and-photographic-analysis-confirm-police-used-unlawful-force-against-protesters/>
Bangladesh: Uphold Impartiality in Law Enforcement Human Rights Watch. (2025, February 12). Accessed 20 February 2025. https://www.hrw.org/news/2025/02/12/bangladesh-uphold-impartiality-law-enforcement.
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