New Delhi: The Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) released a report on Friday (June 6), claiming that at least 123 members of Bangladesh‘s Awami League and its affiliated organizations were victims of targeted murders under the interim government led by Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
The report, titled “Bangladesh: Organised murder for membership to the Awami League and its affiliate organisations,” covers the period from August 5, 2024, to April 30, 2025.
According to the RRAG, among the deceased are at least 41 Awami League members who were reportedly hacked to death, sometimes by throat-slitting in a “Taliban-style” manner. Additionally, 21 others allegedly died while in the custody of the interim government.
“These murders are just the tip of the iceberg, as not all cases were reported in local media, and the RRAG faced limitations in monitoring all local outlets,” Suhas Chakma, Director of RRAG, said.
He emphasized that even children, women, mentally unstable and maimed individuals were not spared.
The report cites several specific incidents to support its claims.
On December 17, 2024, alleged supporters of Dr. Yunus reportedly murdered Mohammed Masud Rana and 12-year-old Mohd Rian, a Class 5 student, in Nachol, Chapaiganj, merely for posting a “Joy Bangla” slogan on Facebook five months prior to the student movement.
On December 5, 2024, Arina Begum was allegedly hacked to death while offering Namaaz because her son was a Chhatra League president living in hiding.
Further examples include the September 19, 2024, brutal killing of Tofazzal, a mentally unstable member of Kathaltoli Union Chhatra League, by a student mob at Dhaka University.
On September 8, 2024, Abdullah Al Masud, a former Rajshahi University Chhatra League leader who had previously suffered severe injuries in 2014 and used a prosthetic leg, was reportedly beaten to death while purchasing medicine, despite no longer being associated with the Chhatra League.
An Awami League worker, Babar Ali, was allegedly murdered by throat-slitting on August 13, 2024, after being abducted from his home in Bogura district.
Chakma further said, “The shrill political rhetoric by political opponents, including Jamaat-I-Islami, Bangladesh National Party, the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, and the top leadership of the Interim Government headed by Dr. Mohammed Yunus, effectively encouraged vengeance against the Awami League.”
He added that the banning of the Chhatra League and subsequently the Awami League itself “justified these acts of vendetta with impunity.”
The RRAG also highlighted that Awami League members were likely among the 1,400 people reportedly killed between July 15 and August 5.
However, their relatives were allegedly unable to testify before an inquiry conducted by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights due to fear of reprisal.
The report claims the situation worsened as the interim government provided “absolute impunity” by prohibiting police from filing cases or arresting anyone involved in the July-August uprising, including in the murders of 44 policemen.
“Crimes against humanity are committed by both state and non-state actors,” the RRAG stated.
The group contends that “these targeted murders for being members of the Awami League and its affiliate organisations under the Interim Government constitute crime against humanity.
The RRAG claims that not only former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina but also Dr. Mohammed Yunus, as head of the Interim Government, and Adviser for Home Affairs Jahangir Alam Chowdhury are “liable for command responsibility as per Article 28 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court” for the alleged murders of Awami League members.
The RRAG stated that it would file a formal complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC), drawing parallels between the alleged “war crimes committed in Bangladesh” and “crimes against humanity committed in the context of post-election violence in Kenya in 2007/2008,” which the ICC previously investigated.
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The issue of “targeted killing of political opponents by Dr. Yunus” is also being raised with the UK government, ahead of Dr. Yunus’ scheduled visit to the UK from June 10-13, 2025, where he is slated to receive the Harmony Award 2025 from King Charles III.
