The Awami League party has expressed concern over the growing cases of human rights violations in Bangladesh. The party says that under the rule of the interim government led by Mohammad Yunus, “journalists are being treated like criminals, their activists are being labelled enemies of the state and ordinary people are living in fear.”
Harassment, arrests, kidnappings of journalists, writers and human rights activists are rampant across Bangladesh
In a report titled “Bangladesh Human Rights Crisis: Voices Silenced, Freedoms Crushed, Fear Everywhere”, the party said harassment, arbitrary arrests and forced abductions of journalists, writers and human rights activists were rampant across Bangladesh.
Between August 2024 and July 2025, 496 journalists faced harassment while three journalists lost their lives in the line of duty
The report elaborates, “Between August 2024 and July 2025, 496 journalists faced harassment while three journalists lost their lives in the line of duty. Many media workers continue to face threats and court summons, creating an environment where it has become difficult to even express one’s views.”
The party has mentioned in the report 258 communal attacks against minorities in Bangladesh in the first half of 2025
Highlighting the atrocities on journalists across the country after the ouster of former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the party said the repression has taken an even more serious turn when journalists and writers are being dragged to courts on “false murder and assault charges” linked to incidents in which they had no involvement. According to the report, local journalists in Dhaka, Sylhet, Chittagong and dozens of other districts have been implicated in “fabricated cases”. The party has mentioned 258 communal attacks against minorities in Bangladesh in the first half of 2025 in the report.
According to reports, a frenzied mob in Rangpur looted, burnt and demolished the houses of Hindu families
“In Rangpur district, Hindu families watched helplessly as their homes were torched, looted and demolished by frenzied attackers. These attacks were not isolated incidents but part of a pattern of intimidation, sending a clear message that safety for minorities in the country is not guaranteed. Victims who dared to resist were beaten up, while others fled and were forced into displacement in their own homeland,” the report said. Citing reports from across the country that highlight a disturbing pattern of violence against women in Bangladesh, the party said women are targeted not just for their political affiliation or profession, but also for staying outside the “narrow, stifling standards set by radical ideology”.
Harassment, assault and threats against women on the streets have become common
The report further said, “Female students and professionals have been attacked for their appearance, harassed for speaking out, and beaten for challenging radical ideas. Even ordinary women on the streets are not spared; harassment, assault and threats have become commonplace, creating an environment where survival means silence.” Saying that Bangladeshis cannot fight this battle alone, the parties urged the global community, including the United Nations, human rights bodies and the international media, to save the country before it sinks into repression.
