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.
The report found that enforced disappearances, once widespread, appeared to have declined. However, it accused the interim government of arbitrarily detaining thousands of perceived political opponents. In May, authorities imposed a ban on the Awami League, restricting meetings, publications, and online speech linked to the party.
In November, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) sentenced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to death in absentia for crimes against humanity related to the violent suppression of protests in 2024. Former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal was also sentenced to death following trials conducted in absentia.
HRW raised alarm over a surge in mob violence involving political groups and non-state actors, including religious hardliners hostile to women’s rights and to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. According to Bangladeshi rights group Ain O Salish Kendra, at least 124 people were killed in mob attacks between June and August 2025.
A United Nations investigation published in February found that police, border guards, the Rapid Action Battalion, and intelligence agencies committed serious abuses during the 2024 protests, which resulted in around 1,400 deaths. Despite the findings, accountability has been limited. In July, Bangladesh Police told the BBC that only 60 officers had been arrested.
The interim government chose to prosecute alleged crimes under the Awami League at the ICT, a court originally established to try crimes committed during the 1971 war of independence. While amendments were introduced to improve procedures, the report said the tribunal continues to fall short of international fair trial standards to some extent and retains the death penalty.
Efforts to deliver broader reforms have stalled. Although multiple commissions were established to recommend changes to the judiciary, police, electoral system, labour rights, and the constitution, few proposals were implemented due to political deadlock. Chief Adviser Yunus has announced a “July Charter” and plans for a constitutional referendum to be held alongside the election.
The report also highlighted worsening conditions for Rohingya refugees, attacks on ethnic and religious minorities, restrictions on free expression, and growing economic pressures driven by unemployment and inflation. HRW warned that unless reforms accelerate, Bangladesh risks entering the 2026 election with unresolved human rights concerns.
