Last Updated on October 9, 2025 6:34 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, of misusing the amended Anti-Terrorism Act to detain alleged supporters of the banned Awami League.
In a statement on Thursday, HRW urged the UN human rights mission in Dhaka to intervene and secure the release of those “arbitrarily detained.”
“Stuffing prisons with political opponents and shutting down peaceful dissent is not the path to democratic transition,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s Deputy Asia Director.
Thousands have been detained since the Yunus-led administration took over in August 2024 following mass protests that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government, leaving 1,400 people dead.
Critics say the amended law—originally enacted in 2009—has been used to silence opposition. One high-profile case involved 16 individuals, including journalists and academics, arrested after a Mancha 71 discussion at Dhaka Reporters Unity. Witnesses said it was a peaceful event, yet participants were jailed while their attackers “roamed free.”
Legal aid group Ain o Salish Kendra reported at least 152 mob killings since January. HRW said the government had “failed to protect” Awami League supporters and women’s rights activists from extremist violence.
The UN Human Rights Office recently signed a three-year agreement with the interim government to promote rights and accountability ahead of the February 2026 election.