Bangladesh remains under intense human rights scrutiny despite the end of Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year fascist rule, with abuses continuing under the interim government formed after mass protests in 2024, according to the World Human Rights Report 2026 published by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday.
The interim administration, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, took office promising accountability and reform. While some of the fear and repression associated with the previous Awami League government have eased, Human Rights Watch said serious violations persisted throughout 2025. General elections are scheduled for February 2026.
Bangladesh is entering a critical electoral period ahead of its national elections scheduled for February 2026, with human rights organisations calling on political parties and institutions to consolidate recent reforms and strengthen protections to ensure a credible and inclusive democratic process.
In a briefing published on Saturday, Amnesty International outlined a range of human rights priorities that it said should form part of the national agenda before, during and after the polls. The organisation stressed that safeguarding civil liberties and accountability would be essential to sustaining public confidence in the election environment and democratic institutions
Myanmar wanted to erase the Rohingya people through its use of "genocidal policies, The Gambia's foreign minister Dawda Jallow has told the UN's top court.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is hearing a landmark case brought by the Muslim majority of a West African nation in 2019, which accuses Myanmar of deliberately trying to destroy the minority Muslim population. Myanmar has previously denied the allegations.
The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances today submitted its final report to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, stating that enforced disappearances in Bangladesh were largely politically motivated and carried out with involvement from the highest levels of the immediate past government.
The report titled “Unfolding the truth: a structural diagnosis of enforced disappearance in Bangladesh” was handed over at the State Guest House Jamuna this afternoon, according to a press release of the Chief Adviser’s press wing.
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United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ant¢nio Guterres has condemned the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi and urged Bangladeshi authorities to ensure accountability through a prompt, impartial and transparent investigation in line with international human rights standards.
UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric stated at a regular press briefing in New York on Friday that the Secretary-General also called for restraint as Bangladesh prepares for parliamentary elections scheduled for February 2026.
Highlights
- Over 1.2 million Rohingya refugees remain in highly congested settlements in Cox’s Bazar, where children face overcrowding and rising insecurity. Since January 2025, 133,651 new arrivals have further strained services. Nationally, children are impacted by recurrent health emergencies, including the ongoing dengue outbreak.
- Children need urgent nutrition support to prevent acute malnutrition, timely health care to curb disease outbreaks, protection from violence and exploitation, and safe water and sanitation. Rohingya children experience severe education disruption due to funding cuts and deteriorating learning facilities.
- UNICEF reached 563,033 people (44% of the revised HAC 2025 target) with lifesaving, multisec...
