(London) – Bangladesh’s recently elected prime minister, Tarique Rahman, and his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government face many urgent challenges but can use this opportunity to bring lasting protections of human rights, nine rights groups wrote in a letter to Rahman published today.
Prime Minister Rahman came to office following a landslide election victory in February 2026. The election was conducted by an interim government that had replaced the increasingly abusive 15-year rule of the former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who was toppled by mass protests in 2024. While the widespread rights violations including enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings under Hasina’s rule ended, the interim government continued to arbitrarily detain political opponents, and was unable to end mob violence against journalists, religious minorities, and cultural centers.
“Tarique Rahman has been given a wide mandate to bring change, including by many Bangladeshis who risked their lives to overthrow an autocratic government,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Success will require meaningful reform to ensure that independent institutions are capable of delivering accountability and upholding the rule of law, and real commitment to upholding rights such as freedom of religion and expression.”
Among the priorities highlighted in the letter are ending arbitrary detention, holding those responsible for past violations accountable, abolishing the abusive Rapid Action Battalion, and protecting ethnic and religious minorities. The groups also said that the government should protect the rights of over a million Rohingya refugees currently in Bangladesh and establish a strong and independent National Human Rights Commission. The groups made specific recommendations in their letter for policy measures and legislative steps.
During the election campaign, the BNP made numerous commitments to safeguard rights, including economic rights, by increasing the resources available for health, education, environmental protections, and social security.
