Bangladesh interim govt faces international criticisms over human rights violations

The activists remarked during an event hosted at the sidelines of the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Organised by the Centre for Gender Justice, the discussion, titled "Violations of Fundamental Human Rights, Rule of Law, and Democracy in Bangladesh," drew attention to the deteriorating situation in the country following the ousting of elected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, reported ANI news agency.

According to reports, a short film was shown during the event, which showed extrajudicial killings, attacks on religious minorities, and the destruction of temples and Sufi shrines that occurred since the fall of Hasina's regime.

It also showcased the way radical Islamist groups threatened and lynched political activists belonging to Hasina's Awami League.

The panel featured Professor Md Habibe Millat, President of the Global Center for Democratic Governance (Canada); Paulo Casaca, former Member of the European Parliament and Executive Director of the South Asia Democratic Forum (Belgium); Suhas Chakma, Director of the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (India); Natalia Sineaeva-Pankowska of the NEVER AGAIN Association (Poland); and Chris Blackburn, Founding Editor of Narrative360 (UK), reported ANI news agency.

Speaking to ANI, Professor Millat reported that at least 213 Awami League leaders and activists have been killed since the interim government took power, while historic sites linked to the 1971 Liberation War have been destroyed.

He further noted a rise in mob violence, with 637 people killed in lynching incidents, and said 30 members of minority communities had been murdered.

He added that 17 churches were set on fire on Christmas Day 2024.

"Human rights violations in Bangladesh are at the highest level in the last 54 years. All populations, not just minorities, are tortured...Nobody has been spared over the last 14 months. More than 2500 cases of torture have been documented, more than 30 people of the minority community have been killed," he said.

"As per a report, at least 637 people were killed by mob lynching...At the moment, they are trying to do a fraudulent election...So, Bangladesh needs to get back to democracy, the rule of law and justice. That's what we are fighting for," he added.

Speaking to ANI, Professor Millat reported that at least 213 Awami League leaders and activists have been killed since the interim government took power, while historic sites linked to the 1971 Liberation War have been destroyed.

He further noted a rise in mob violence, with 637 people killed in lynching incidents, and said 30 members of minority communities had been murdered.

He added that 17 churches were set on fire on Christmas Day 2024.

"Human rights violations in Bangladesh are at the highest level in the last 54 years. All populations, not just minorities, are tortured...Nobody has been spared over the last 14 months. More than 2500 cases of torture have been documented, more than 30 people of the minority community have been killed," he said.

"As per a report, at least 637 people were killed by mob lynching...At the moment, they are trying to do a fraudulent election...So, Bangladesh needs to get back to democracy, the rule of law and justice. That's what we are fighting for," he added.

While speaking to ANI, Belgium's Paulo Casaca, former Member of the European Parliament and Executive Director of the South Asia Democratic Forum, described the situation as a "humanitarian crisis".

"This is the worst nightmare in Bangladesh. Under such conditions, all elections are a fraud," he said.

Barrister Nijhoom Majumder, Bangladeshi political activist from the UK, told ANI, "Western power has captured indirectly. I always say that what is happening in Bangladesh is a proxy war against India. Target is India and the battlefield is in Bangladesh."

"Many powers in the world are with us; they know that Bangladesh is becoming an extremist Islamist country. State-sponsored terrorism is being sponsored in Bangladesh. Bangladesh cannot be a battlefield for a proxy war against India, China or any other country," he added.