The United States Department of State has said that Bangladesh鈥檚 human rights situation stabilised despite some concerns after Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government had taken over following the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina-led regime on August 5, 2024 amid mass student protests.
The US Department of State made the remarks in its annual country report on human rights practices for 2024, published on Wednesday.
The Bangladesh 2024 Human Rights report said that the Awami League regime used transnational repression to intimidate or exact reprisals against individuals outside its sovereign borders, including against members of diaspora populations, such as political opponents, civil society activists, human rights defenders, and journalists.
鈥楢fter weeks of mass student protests and hundreds of persons killed in clashes with police and Awami League party youth wings, on August 5, former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country. On August 8, the president swore in an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus in the role of 鈥淐hief Advisor鈥� (prime minister equivalent),鈥� said the report, adding that 鈥楢fter some incidents in August, the human rights situation in the country stabilised, although some concerns persisted.鈥�
It mentioned that after the fall of the previous government, the interim government arrested members of the previous government accused of committing human rights abuses.
Significant human rights issues, primarily under the previous government, included credible reports of arbitrary or unlawful killings, disappearances, torture or cruel treatment, arbitrary arrest or detention, serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, including violence or threats of violence against journalists, unjustified arrests or prosecutions of journalists, significant restrictions on workers鈥� freedom of association and violence or threats against labour activists and significant presence of the worst forms of child labour, according to the report.
It said that there were numerous reports of widespread impunity for human rights abuses during the Awami League regime.
Credible reports by human rights organisations and media documented serious human rights abuses by the former ruling Awami League鈥檚 student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League, now a banned organisation, in July and August, said the 31-page report on Bangladesh available online.
聽The interim government worked with the United Nations and used both its ordinary justice system and the Bangladeshi International Criminal Tribunal to hold the perpetrators accountable.
The US report said that there were numerous reports that the AL regime or its agents committed arbitrary or unlawful killings during the year.
鈥楾he previous government neither released official statistics on total killings by security personnel nor took transparent measures to investigate cases,鈥� it said, adding that the interim government began to do this.
Referring to a report of the local human rights organisation Human Rights Support Society, published in October, the US State Department reported that at least 986 persons, including students, children, political activists, labourers, and police, were killed between July 16 and September 9.
On September 24, the interim government released a draft list documenting 708 fatalities related to the mass protests, but called for public contributions to ensure the data was accurate.
Extrajudicial killings continued at approximately the same rate as in the previous year from January until July, the report said. 聽
Authorities, including the police, intelligence services, and student affiliates of the previous ruling party, subjected journalists to violence, harassment, and intimidation, especially when tied to the now-defunct Digital Security Act, which human rights activists called a government and ruling party tool to intimidate journalists.
The situation improved significantly in August after the interim government was appointed, the report said.
Both print and online independent media were active and expressed a variety of views, the report said, adding that media outlets that criticised the previous government were, however, pressured.
Independent media could not operate freely or without restrictions during the previous regime, it said.
鈥楳edia freedom improved significantly under the interim government, although some journalists complained of implicit pressure in terms of what could be covered,鈥� said the report.
Following the change in government, media reported that journalists perceived to be supportive of the previous government were subjected to arrest and charged in criminal cases based on accusations from individuals, some of which appeared to have little factual basis, or to be acts of extortion, according to the report.
About the labour rights situation, it mentioned that the previous government did not effectively enforce laws protecting freedom of association, the right to bargain collectively, and the right to strike.
There were reports of enforced disappearances by or on behalf of government authorities under the previous government, the report said. 聽聽聽
In the days immediately after the government turnover, many victims of enforced disappearances were released from secret detention centres where some had been detained for up to eight years.
