Global NHRC body fails to take action on non-existent Bangladesh NHRC to save the image of Dr Yunus

The Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) in a hard hitting letter to the Global Alliance of the National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) on Friday (November 7) stated that the GANHRI had failed to take action regarding non-existent National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of Bangladesh following the dismissal of all members on 7 November 2024 because of political motivation to save the image of Chief Advisor of the Interim Government Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus. The RRAG had filed a complaint on 8 November 2024 seeking suspension of the NHRC of Bangladesh but no action has been taken as on date by the GANHRI despite the failure of the Interim Government of Bangladesh to appoint new members of the NHRC.

One year ago on 7 November 2024, the Interim Government of Bangladesh dismissed all members of its NHRC including Chairman Kamal Uddin Ahmed and five other members i.e. Md Salim Reza, Aminul Islam, Kongjari Chowdhury, Biswajit Chanda, and Tania Haque. Their crime was to highlight a rise in crimes such as mob beatings, rapes, and other offences as well as political harassment, assaults on political leaders, and other violent acts in its monthly report for October 2024.

“As the GANHRI continues to treat a non-existent NHRC of Bangladesh as one of its members with B Status, its entire accreditation process regarding compliance with the Paris Principles is suspect and does not meet the test of impartiality and objectivity. Under similar circumstances, the GANHRI Bureau had suspended the membership of the Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan in July 2022 and Myanmar Human Rights Commission, Niger Human Rights Commission and the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation in July 2023. However, when it came to Bangladesh NHRC, even the scheduled meeting with the GANHRI on 4th March 2025 could not take place simply because the GANHRI at last minute did not provide the venue of the meeting and the person to be met.” – stated Mr Suhas Chakma, Director of the RRAG in his letter to all the Permanent Missions to the United Nations in Geneva.

In the last one-year, gross human rights violations were committed in Bangladesh. At least 637 persons, including 41 police officers, were reportedly lynched to death under the interim government from August 2024 to July 2025 against 51 lynching death under Sheikh Hasina government during 2023 i.e. increase of 1,250%. The formal justice system has been destroyed with removal of 21 Supreme Court and High Court judges and removal of all members of the NHRC. Further, criminal cases were filed against a total of 5,16,327 persons including 79,491 persons named and 4,36,836 persons unnamed in about 1,567 cases; a total of 878 journalists were targeted; 51 cases were filed while 39 persons were arrested under the Cyber Security Act of 2023 while a total of 2,485 incidents of violence against religious and ethnic minorities were reported.

Furthermore, there is no right to freedom of association and assembly for the Awami League and its affiliate organizations, indigenous peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and the Hindu minorities. While the Chhatra League and the Awami League are banned, indigenous peoples were attacked by the illegal plain settlers and Bangladesh Army at Dighinala, Khagrachari Sadar and Rangamati Sadar on 19-20 September, for organising the ‘March For Identity’ on 18 September 2024. Hindu priest Chinmoy Das has been charged with sedition and subsequently for murder for organizing a peaceful protest of the Hindus at the Lal Dighi ground, Chittagong on 25 October 2024 has been in jail from 25 November 2024.

“It is in times like this that a National Human Rights Institution has to exist but there has not been any NHRI in Bangladesh for the last one year.  The GANHRI must take emergency measures to suspend the NHRC of Bangladesh with immediate effect.” – further stated Mr Chakma.