Bangladesh: 111 people killed over past one year amid worsening human rights crisis

Dhaka, Oct 9 (IANS) At least 111 people have been killed in mob attacks in Bangladesh over the past year, experts highlighted on Thursday while drawing attention to the escalating human rights crisis across the country, local media reported.

During a roundtable discussion titled 'Human Rights in Transition: Accountability, Institutions, and Fragility in Post-Uprising Bangladesh', several scholars, civil society representatives, and rights defenders urged immediate institutional reform and greater accountability to protect human rights in the country.

The event was organised on Wednesday in Dhaka by research-based human rights think tank Sapran (Shokol Praner Nirapotta), which was founded after the July 2024 demonstrations.

The participants at the discussion emphasised the lack of effective justice and accountability mechanisms, which have fueled increasing mob violence, digital vigilantism, and declining public confidence in the country’s justice institutions, leading Bangladeshi daily Dhaka Tribune reported.

In its latest report, 'After the Monsoon Rebellion: Assessing the State of Human Rights in Transitional Bangladesh (Aug 2024 – July 2025)', Sapran recorded an alarming rise in human rights violations and crimes across the country.

According to the report, between August 2024 and July 2025, there were 496 attacks on journalists, 195 mob lynchings and 640 cases of violence against children. Additionally, 34 people were killed and over 2,000 pushed across borders, 24 attacks targeted indigenous people, 35 people were extrajudicially killed, 45 died, and 300 were injured from labour rights violations; while the total number of murders reached 2,878.

Additionally, human rights activist Mosfiqur Rahman Johan highlighted that extrajudicial killings and the death penalty, which are frequently carried out without proper legal records, remain major concerns.

“The state’s role is to protect life, not to end it,” he stated.

Bangladeshi media outlet IP News BD emphasised that minority and women representatives continue to be excluded from policy-making.

"For seventeen years, ethnic people have been waiting for constitutional recognition. Even in the new consensus commissions, there are no women, no Indigenous voices. How can we build an inclusive state while leaving people out?" she questioned.

On the other hand, addressing the lack of inclusion, Sara Hossain, senior advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh, said, "Many in our society seem unaware of the constitution, the law, or human rights themselves. Voices from marginalised communities remain unheard, yet they are central to any meaningful reform."

Bangladesh is facing an escalating human rights crisis under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, sparking outrage among people and several human rights organisations across the globe.

--IANS

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