Defending democracy and human rights in Bangladesh: A call to action

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Defending democracy and human rights in Bangladesh: A call to action

The recent ouster of the Awami League government has led to widespread violence and a breakdown of law and order. The international community, including

organizations like the United Nations and various democratic nations, has urged Bangladesh to protect democracy and uphold human rights.

Summary:

Political Instability: Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina's government in August 2024, political instability has surged, leading to widespread violence and a breakdown of law and order.
Human Rights Abuses: Over 2,000 incidents of violence have been reported, including politically motivated killings, mob attacks, and targeting of minorities. By the end of August, over 1,000 people had died in clashes and mob attacks, fuelled by political rivalries. Incidents of mob lynching surged, with 21 individuals beaten to death in just over a month.
Targeted Attacks: Homes, businesses, and religious sites have been targeted in waves of retribution, leaving minority communities and opposition figures particularly vulnerable. The Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, a symbol of the nation’s independence struggle, was set on fire during the unrest. The looting and destruction of Hindu temples, including the shrine of Hazrat Shah Paran, further underscored the deteriorating law and order situation.
Violence Against Minorities: There have been 69 cases of temple vandalism, 915 attacks on homes, and multiple instances of rape. Minority communities, including Hindus, Buddhists, and Christians, have suffered the most from this violence, with assaults on their places of worship, homes, and businesses.
Legal System Misuse: Concerns have been raised about the widespread misuse of the legal system to target political opponents, with over 194,000 individuals, mostly supporters of the Awami League, facing criminal charges, including murder.
Press Freedom: The crackdown on press freedom has been severe, with at least 54 journalists charged with various offences and several remaining in detention.
Economic Impact: The political turmoil has had a significant economic impact, with the stock market collapsing and factories shutting down.
Call to Action: It is essential for the international community, particularly the UK, to take decisive action to protect the Bangladeshi people from persecution, human rights abuses, and violence. By taking a firm stand, the UK, along with other Western countries, can help pave the way toward a more stable and democratic Bangladesh. This will benefit both the Bangladeshi people, especially the substantial number of British Bangladeshis, and the international community as a whole.
Global Condemnation: Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Reporters Without Borders, the Commonwealth Journalists Association, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and other global rights organizations have condemned the violence and called for immediate action to protect vulnerable people in Bangladesh.
UK Foreign Secretary’s Response: UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy responded to the APPG’s call with grave concern, emphasizing the importance of stability in Bangladesh due to its significant ties with the UK, including a large Bangladeshi diaspora. He warned of potential international repercussions if the crisis worsens, particularly highlighting the growing influence of Islamist extremism noted in the APPG report. Lammy urged coordinated efforts to support democratic governance and ensure the protection of minorities in the region.

(Sources: The Independent, UK; The Business Standard, Bangladesh; Times of India)

APPG for the Commonwealth’s Report on the escalating crisis in Bangladesh

In November 2024, the APPG for the Commonwealth published a report on Bangladesh's human rights situation. The report highlights significant challenges, including the rise of Islamist extremism, political violence, and human rights abuses. Their inquiry received substantial personal evidence, including images of looted properties, arson attacks, and violence against individuals.

Handing over its findings to the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the APPG has called on the UK government to take immediate action in response to the escalating crisis in Bangladesh. It also urged the UK government to support democratic governance, protect human rights, and ensure the safety of people in Bangladesh. Additionally, the APPG highlights the importance of international collaborative efforts to address the ongoing crisis.

The report highlights significant challenges, including the rise of Islamist extremism, political violence, and human rights abuses. Their inquiry received substantial personal evidence, including images of looted properties, arson attacks, and violence against individuals. The report said, “Our inquiry heard there was a lack of faith in public institutions, democracy, and free media. However, we have also received evidence that raises questions about the efficacy of the new interim regime. There is an urgent need to end the culture of using the law as a political weapon, and that human rights and the rule of law need to be upheld. A failure to do this will not reflect well on the new interim regime of Professor Muhammad Yunus.”

“However, our inquiry heard a fundamental change has been the scale and the severity of the charges brought against individuals from and supporters of the Awami League Government.”

It would be expected to see corruption charges brought forward, but the sheer number of murder charges made raise some serious questions relating to process,” the APPG report said.

According to the Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), an independent think tank, over 194,000 persons belonging to the Awami League have been charged in criminal cases. There were 26,268 people named and around 168,000 unnamed persons were accused in about 268 cases, the report said.

“They told us that since then the filing of cases continued and it has become the trend in Bangladesh to be filing cases against hundreds of unnamed persons in one complaint to persecute the political opponents.”

For the last few decades, journalism has been ‘highly politicised,’ the APPG said in its report. “We have been told that as of 22 October, at least 54 journalists perceived as supporters of the previous government led by Sheikh Hasina were charged for various offences including for genocide and crimes against humanity, while at least six journalists remained in detention in Bangladesh. The crackdown on press freedom has been widely condemned by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).”

The report said that of all the written evidence their inquiry received, by far the most concerning was the security situation and the rule of law. The initial student protests, their evolution into a wider movement, and its transformation into a mass movement that brought down the government was well-covered by international media.

However, it added that: “Our inquiry received a great deal of personal evidence containing images following properties that have were looted, arson attacks and violence against individuals.”

Mentioning the attacks on the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, shrines and mob lynching at Dhaka University, the report said that incidents of mob lynching had spiked with 21 people beaten to death in 38 days.

Citing the Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation (MSF), APPG wrote that five people were killed in September and 619 people were injured in political attacks. There were 53 incidents of mob lynching and 12 shrine attack incidents. At least six extrajudicial killings occurred as of Sept 16.

The RRAG told APPG that by Sept 5, a total of 5,818 weapons were looted in the country. As many as 3,933 of those were recovered while 1,885 arms, including rifles, SMGs, LMGs, and pistols, remained missing.

The APPG said they heard in oral evidence from the Bangladesh Hindu Association in the UK, and in written evidence from members of the Hindu community living in Bangladesh. They also heard from respondents detailing the experiences of Christian and Buddhist communities in Bangladesh and the Indigenous communities.

The report said that 2,010 communal attacks took place from Aug 4 to Aug 20 in Bangladesh. These include nine murders, four rapes, 69 incidents of vandalism and arson attacks on temples and 915 incidents of vandalism, looting and arson attacks on households. The highest number of communal attacks took place in Khulna, with four women raped, including a speech-impaired woman.

In a piece of written evidence received by the APPG, Kajal Devnath, vice president of the Bangladesh Hindu Buddha Unity Council stated: “Anything can happen at any moment because there is no law and order. There is no place to complain. If they kill me, if they burn my house, there is no one I can complain to."

The Global Association for Indigenous Peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (GAIPC) presented evidence of 75 Indigenous people who sustained injuries during the attacks by illegal plains settlers at Dighinala, Khagrachari and Rangamati on Sept 19 and Sept 20 and an attack in Khagrachhari on Oct 1, 2024. Furthermore, about 142 houses, shops and other business establishments, properties and Buddhist temples of Indigenous people were set ablaze, destroyed, and looted by the plain settlers.

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has been warned that the UK could be pulled into another global flashpoint over the rapidly destabilising situation in Bangladesh, reports the British news outlet Independent.

Besides being a Commonwealth member, Bangladesh is a crucial trading and security partner for many other Commonwealth countries, the APPG said. Also, there was a significant Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK, which pushed them to investigate the situation in Bangladesh.

The report, based on written and oral evidence, and newspaper reports, aimed to inform the British policymakers about the current situation in Bangladesh and make international stakeholders aware of the current situation.

The APPG report will be a step in their efforts to raise awareness of issues affecting important Commonwealth partners, said Andrew Rosindell MP, chair of the Commonwealth All-Party Parliamentary Group.

“The findings will be shared with the governments, charities, and other stakeholders involved with Bangladesh and the Commonwealth. It is hoped that these issues are heard within Westminster and Whitehall, and this report helps to inform parliamentarians and decision makers.” (Sources: Media Reports)

Chatham House, UK’s Report on the concerning situation in Bangladesh

In September 2024, the leading UK think-tank Chatham House in a research article said that attacks on the offices of the Awami League, and reports that several of its party leaders have been killed, do not bode well for creating an inclusive political climate also raises concern about the looming risk of military rule saying that the actions of the military are being closely watched given Bangladesh has experienced 29 actual or attempted coups in its half-century history. The report said:

The resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after anti-government protests has been celebrated by many in Bangladesh as a ‘second liberation.’ Yet the ousting of the world’s longest-serving female leader also marks the most critical political situation in the country since the revolution in 1971. The turmoil reflects underlying fissures in Bangladesh’s politics, economy, and security situation.

The need to build political consensus: To address these issues, the military-led interim government will need to focus on building political consensus, stabilising the economy and rebuilding the legislative, judicial, and executive state institutions to ensure accountability.

In the formation of the interim government, all major opposition parties – including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party which boycotted the January 2024 elections – provided inputs to the new government structure and nominated politicians to work on the reform agenda.

BNP leader Khaleda Zia, who was convicted on corruption charges in 2018, has been released. The Jamaat-e-Islami party, which was banned by Sheikh Hasina’s government on 1 August 2023 after several of its politicians faced charges of war crimes dating back to the country’s independence struggle, has also been rehabilitated.

The appointment of Nobel laureate Mohammed Yunus as head of the caretaker administration signals an attempt to lend credibility to the transitional government, although his role is likely to be more of a figurehead. However, attacks on the offices of the Awami League, coupled with reports that several of its party leaders have been killed, do not bode well for creating an inclusive political climate.

Economic challenges: The anti-government demonstrations that toppled Hasina began as protests against the reimposition of public sector job quotas, reflecting the challenges facing the Bangladeshi economy. Bangladesh has been touted for its strong economic credentials in recent years, with its per capita GDP, life expectancy and female workforce participation rate all surpassing that of neighbouring India, and its fast-growing economy, with growth averaging 6.6 per cent in the decade preceding the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, these statistics belie structural challenges facing the Bangladeshi economy. These include high inflation – 9.73 per cent in 2023-24, the highest since 2011-12 – and slowing growth amid the country’s export-dependent economy. The country’s readymade garment industry accounts for 83 per cent of the country’s total export earnings, which makes it highly vulnerable to external shocks – from the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine.

The protests in July saw many factories shut and exporters fear mounting losses if domestic political disruptions and lootings of factories continue. However, the IMF affirmed its commitment to the interim government following the protests and will proceed with its planned $4.7 billion loan to promote economic stability.

Most significantly, the country faces high levels of youth unemployment with 18 million people – almost a fifth of those aged between 18-24 in a population of 170 million people – not working or in education. This is what made the issue of public sector job quotas a lightning rod for anti-government unrest, with 400,000 new graduates competing for 3,000 civil service jobs. The protests also raise questions about Bangladesh’s stability as an investment destination, particularly for the country’s lucrative textile and garment industries.

Bangladesh is on course to graduate from Least Developed Country status (as defined by the UN) in 2026, a transition which will require a revised set of trade agreements with major trading partners. Yet the European Union postponed the negotiations on a new cooperation agreement because of the government’s response to the July protests.

This pause includes discussions on the EU’s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) trade scheme, which gives developing countries a special incentive to pursue sustainable development and good governance. The interim government will need to resume these talks to ensure continued preferential access to the EU market – the main destination for ready-made garment sector.

Political and security risks: The high number of fatalities during the protests – over 300 people killed since mid-July along with the arrest of 11,000 – highlights the proclivity for aggressive and heavy-handed tactics by Bangladesh’s security forces.

This is particularly true of the police and paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (although the interim government has subsequently ordered the release of those who have been detained since July). The actions of the military are being closely watched given Bangladesh has experienced 29 actual or attempted coups in its half-century history. While the army is now trying to facilitate the formation of an interim government, there are concerns that the military itself could take power.

This risk is amplified because the underlying divisions in the country’s security forces became evident during the struggle over Hasina’s future. The military supported her (including newly appointed army chief Waker-Uz-Zaman, whose wife is Hasina’s cousin), while several former military officers (including one a former army chief) backed the anti-government movement. The decision by security forces to refrain from using force to quell demonstrations on Monday arguably led to the collapse of the government.

Regional and global implications: Developments in Bangladesh have the most direct implications for neighbouring India, with the Hasina government being a longtime supporter of improving relations between Delhi and Dhaka. A ‘Boycott India’ campaign emerged in Bangladesh after the January elections in opposition to Hasina’s perceived pro-India stance. The duration of Hasina’s stay in India will also pose challenges for New Delhi as it seeks to cultivate relations with the new government in Dhaka.

Five Indian states share the 4,000-kilometre border with Bangladesh, so New Delhi fears that any security crisis in the country could spill over. There are also concerns over the plight of several thousand Indian nationals in Bangladesh, with over 4,500 Indians returning in July alone. There are already reports of attacks on Bangladesh’s 13-million minority Hindu population.

Events in Bangladesh also highlight the disconnect between the foreign policy priorities of the West and India, which along with China has shielded the Hasina regime from international criticism.

While the West has focussed on democratic backsliding, India and China had welcomed the emergence of a more stable and predictable political environment in the country under the Hasina government. Relations between China and Bangladesh’s interim government, and then any democratically elected administration, will be closely watched.

New Delhi justified its support for Hasina’s government on the grounds of an ideological struggle in Bangladesh between secularists and religious extremists, with the Awami League representing the former and opposition parties painted as the latter (often with the backing of India’s longstanding rival Pakistan).

Leaders in the region and beyond will be alert to the potential revival of religious extremism as a result of instability in Bangladesh, as well as its impact on migration flows.

Developments in Bangladesh also hold lessons for other countries in South Asia with large and young populations facing growing inequality and lack of employment opportunities. With almost 40 per cent of the region’s population below the age of 18 there is a latent risk of their demographic dividend becoming a demographic burden in the absence of sufficient economic opportunities and employment generation.

The departure of Sheikh Hasina marks a new chapter in the country’s political development, with the interim government facing major challenges. In the short-term, it needs to stabilise the political situation and then to prepare for a new election. It also needs to start engaging internationally to gain legitimacy and rebuild partnerships with its neighbours and trading partners.

But any new government must also look further ahead and address the country’s myriad structural challenges. It must prioritise security for its citizens and protect the country’s economic development, but both require a period of stability within its splintered politics. (Source: Chatham House Website)

Odhikar Report (November 2024): Odhikar, a prominent human rights organization in Bangladesh, noted that at least eight people were victims of extrajudicial killings, 67 were lynched and documented 52 deaths and 1,308 injuries between August 9 and September 30, 2024.

Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) Report (November 2024): The RRAG reported that over 272,000 individuals, mostly political opponents, have been targeted in 1,598 criminal cases since Yunus took over. (Sources: Media Reports)