Rights group seeks probe against Yunus administration
Guwahati: As the interim government of Bangladesh completes six months of its existence in Dhaka, a prominent rights group demands a fair probe into the current state of mis-governance in the south Asian nation. Compiling a report titled ‘Bangladesh: The Case for Establishing OHCHR Field Office’, the New Delhi-based Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) recently highlighted an increasing trend in human rights violations including weaponization of the justice system against political opponents. The RRAG also asserted that the current administration led by Nobel laureate Dr Muhammed Yunus continues cracking down on the media to hide the incidents of increasing attacks on religious minorities and indigenous peoples.
“We call upon the UN Human Rights Council to pass a resolution for the establishment of the country office of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in Bangladesh during its 58th Session from 24 February to 4 April 2025 in Geneva. The UNHCR Volker Turk after conclusion of his country visit to Bangladesh on 30 October last called for a strengthened presence of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to support the transition process including by offering advice on legal, institutional, economic and social reforms, transitional justice, reconciliation, and healing,” said a statement issued by the RRAG.
The Yunus administration has so far spurned the UN by not allowing the establishment of OHCHR country offices. On the weaponization of justice system against political opponents, the RRAG stated that as per Manabadhikar Sanskriti Foundation based in Dhaka, a total of 504,208 persons allegedly associated with previous Awami League government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina including 74,224 persons named and 429,996 persons unnamed, were accused in about 1,520 cases by 31 January 2025. A total of 348 journalists were targeted including filing of 21 criminal cases against 147, money laundering investigation against 34 journalists and denial of accreditation to 167 journalists. The current regime in Dhaka also continues to use the draconian Cyber Security Act of 2023 under which 24 persons were arrested in 34 cases during 2024.
“Over 2,000 incidents of attacks on religious minorities, in particular, the Hindus between 4 and 20 August 2024 were reported but Yunus dismissed them as politically motivated. Thereafter, the Bangladesh Police effectively manufactured the justification for the averments made by him on 10 January by claiming that of the 1,254 complaints of attacks on the Hindus substantiated, 1,234 incidents (98.4%) were politically motivated, and 20 cases (1.59%) were communal in nature,” said Suhas Chakma, director of the RRAG, adding that Bangladesh is all but set to implode, and justice shall become the victim if the OHCHR country office is not established with a proper decision of the UNHRC during the ongoing session.
