(New York) – The interim government in Bangladesh should ensure that security forces act with neutrality and respect the rule of law to prosecute political violence, Human Rights Watch said today. A United Nations report has found that law enforcement agencies, including the police, border guards, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and intelligence agencies, had engaged in serious human rights violations to contain the protests that in August 2024 led to the ouster of the former repressive government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
An interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has pledged security sector reform. However, it has deployed security forces, including the military, for “Operation Devil Hunt,” arresting nearly 2,000 people, mostly supporters of Hasina’s deposed Awami League government.
“Bangladesh is politically polarised after decades of repression by the Awami League government, but the authorities should not repeat mistakes of the past and should instead ensure impartial rule of law,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “As the United Nations has said, the interim government should focus on urgent reforms to the political system and economic governance.”
The UN report found that the violations included extrajudicial killings, indiscriminate firing, and mass arrests and torture, and it estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed between July 1 and August 15, the vast majority shot by Bangladesh’s security forces. The report described “a disturbing picture” in which “accountability and justice are essential for national healing.”
The recent violence began as Sheikh Hasina announced that she would address her supporters online on February 7, while in exile in India. This announcement led to a furious protest by students and others that had forced her to step down, including by attacking properties belonging to her family or party leaders. They also demolished the home of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who led the independence war against Pakistan. The home had been turned into a memorial museum.
Operation Devil Hunt was launched after a clash between Awami League members and student protesters on February 8. Awami League supporters, in an attempt to block a group of students from attacking the home of a former minister, caused serious injuries. The interim government said that the security operation would target groups “linked to the fallen autocratic regime,” describing them as “devils.”
The interim government has criticized Hasina for inciting violence and has asked India to extradite her to face trial. Yunus has also called for calm, saying: “Respecting the rule of law is what differentiates the new Bangladesh we are working together to build from the old Bangladesh under the fascist regime.”
However, the government should also recognize that the right to peaceful assembly and protest, even by supporters of the former authoritarian government, is a fundamental right protected under international law, Human Rights Watch said. International human rights standards provide that law enforcement agencies should protect and facilitate that right and should apply nonviolent means as much as possible before resorting to the use of force.
The Yunus government has an important task of ensuring order. It should consider bringing a consensus resolution at the upcoming UN Human Rights Council session in March to request technical assistance, further investigations, and monitoring and reporting by UN-backed human rights experts. The resolution should also acknowledge the tyranny of the previous administration and recognize positive human rights steps taken by the interim government.
“Bangladeshis are angry over the repression by the Hasina administration and they deserve justice and accountability, but it has to be a rights-respecting manner,” Ganguly said. “All crimes, including mob violence, should be punished, but when authority figures characterize opponents as the ‘devil,’ it can fuel abuses by security forces that have never faced accountability.”
