Human Rights Watch strongly criticized Bangladesh’s interim government on Thursday, warning that he risked “undermining fundamental freedoms” through measures, including his prohibition of the former ruling party.
The South Asia Nation of around 170 million people has been in a political agitation since the revolt led by the students who overthrew the then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, with parties that protested in the streets for a series of demands.
The interim leader, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Muhammad Yunus, promised that democratic reforms and promised surveys will be held no later than in June 2026.
However, HRW, based in New York, said Yunus risked to follow Hasina’s example to hold opponents.
“Instead of pursuing your promise to reform the criminal justice system and bring responsibility for serious abuses, the government … is trying to suppress the rights of the supporters of the deposed leader,” said the rights group in a statement.
HRW said that the government had used “powers recently introduced under a draconian amendment to the anti -terrorism law” to suppress Hasina’s party.
The Hasina government was blamed for extensive human rights abuse and protesters demanded that Yunus take measures.
The Government prohibited the Hasina Awami League Party on May 12 after days of protests outside Yunus’s house, waiting for the Hasina trial and other key leaders.
Hasina, 77, fled to India and has challenged an arrest warrant of Dhaka for charges of crimes against humanity.
“Imagining a prohibition of any discourse or activity that is considered of a political party is an excessive restriction to the fundamental freedoms that reflects the abusive repression of the previous government against political opponents,” said HRW.
“The Hasina government abused legal powers to silence political opponents, but use similar methods against supporters of their Awami League party would also violate those same fundamental freedoms,” said Meenakshi Ganguly of HRW.
