New Delhi – The Rights & Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) has released a damning report, urging the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to establish a country office for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Bangladesh.
The report, titled “Bangladesh: The Case for Establishing OHCHR Field Office, highlights severe human rights violations, including the weaponization of the justice system against political opponents, attacks on the media, suppression of minorities, and mob rule through the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement (ADSM) under the government of Dr. Mohammed Yunus.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, had previously recommended strengthening the OHCHR’s presence in Bangladesh during his visit on October 30, 2024. However, Dr. Yunus’ administration has refused to allow the establishment of a UN human rights office, raising serious concerns over the country’s deteriorating political and social landscape.
The RRAG report cites data from the Manabadhikar Shongskriti Foundation in Dhaka, revealing that over 5,04,000 political opponents linked to the previous Sheikh Hasina government have been implicated in 1,520 criminal cases since January 31, 2025.
Among them, 74,224 individuals were named, while 4,29,996 remain unnamed, suggesting a mass crackdown on political opposition.
The *media has also faced unprecedented repression, with 348 journalists targeted—including 21 criminal cases filed against 147 journalists, money laundering probes against 34 journalists, and denial of accreditation to 167 journalists. The Anti-Discrimination Students Movement (ADSM) has been accused of violent attacks on independent newspapers The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, while forcing the investors of Somoy TV to terminate five journalists.
The judiciary’s independence has been severely undermined, with 21 Supreme Court and High Court judges forced out of office due to pressure from the ADSM. This includes six Supreme Court judges on August 10, 2024, 12 High Court judges on October 16, 2024, and *three High Court judges on November 19, 2024.
RRAG Director Suhas Chakma described the judiciary as “compliant”, stating, “Judges in Bangladesh cannot deliver verdicts without considering threats to their personal safety. Furthermore, all members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) were forced to resign on November 7, 2024, with no replacements appointed.”
Political freedoms in Bangladesh have also come under direct assault, with the banning of the Awami League’s student wing, Chhatra League, and violent crackdowns on indigenous groups and religious minorities. The ‘March for Identity’ protests at Khagrachari, Chittagong, Rangpur, and Dhaka between September 18, 2024, and January 15, 2025, were met with state-sponsored violence. Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari has remained incarcerated since November 25, 2024, on trumped-up sedition charges, sending a chilling message to *minorities and dissenters.
The RRAG report also highlights alarming statistics on attacks against Hindu minorities, citing over 2,000 reported incidents between August 4 and August 20, 2024. However, Dr. Yunus dismissed these incidents as politically motivated. The Bangladesh Police later justified this claim on *January 10, 2025, alleging that 98.4% of the reported attacks were politically driven and only 1.59% were communal in nature.
A particularly disturbing trend identified in the report is the rise of mob rule under the ADSM, led by Hasnat Abdullah, who has been linked to intimidation campaigns, the burning of the Jatiya Party headquarters in Dhaka, and the demolition of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence at Dhanmondi 32. The report notes a 131% increase in mob lynchings, with 128 deaths recorded in 2024, compared to *51 in 2023.
“Dr. Yunus is no longer just an enabler of mob rule—he is actively turning himself into a mobster,” Chakma stated.
The RRAG warns of an imminent collapse of law and order in Bangladesh, urging the UNHRC to intervene before the situation spirals further out of control. The group calls for the establishment of an OHCHR country office to monitor worsening human rights violations and ensure accountability.
With the 58th Session of the UN Human Rights Council scheduled to take place between February 24 and April 4, 2025, in Geneva, RRAG has urged member states to pass a resolution compelling Bangladesh to allow an OHCHR presence.
“If immediate action is not taken, Bangladesh will implode, and justice will be the ultimate casualty,” Chakma warned.
Read More: Assam: Bishnupriya Manipuri Community Showcases Raas Dance at Maha Kumbh Mela