The Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG) has accused the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) of failing to act on the status of Bangladesh’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which has remained non-functional since November 7, 2024.
In a strongly worded letter sent to GANHRI, the RRAG said the international body had taken no steps despite the dismissal of all NHRC members by Bangladesh’s interim government, allegedly to protect the image of Chief Advisor and Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus.
The RRAG stated that it had filed a formal complaint with GANHRI on November 8, 2024, seeking the suspension of Bangladesh’s NHRC. However, it said no action has been taken so far by GANHRI, even as the country’s interim government has failed to appoint new members to the commission.
On November 7, 2024, Bangladesh’s Interim Government dismissed all members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), including chairperson Kamal Uddin Ahmed and members Md Salim Reza, Aminul Islam, Kongjari Chowdhury, Biswajit Chanda, and Tania Haque.
The move came after the commission, in its October 2024 monthly report, highlighted a surge in mob violence, rapes, political harassment, and assaults on political leaders, among other crimes.
As the GANHRI continues to recognise the now non-existent National Human Rights Commission of Bangladesh as a member with B status, its entire accreditation process under the Paris Principles stands compromised, lacking impartiality and objectivity,” said Suhas Chakma, Director of the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), in a letter to all Permanent Missions to the United Nations in Geneva.
He noted that under similar circumstances, the GANHRI Bureau had suspended the memberships of the Independent Human Rights Commission of Afghanistan in July 2022, and those of Myanmar, Niger, and the Russian Federation in July 2023.
“However, in the case of Bangladesh, even a scheduled meeting with GANHRI on March 4, 2025, could not take place, as GANHRI failed at the last minute to provide the venue or the contact person for the meeting,” Chakma added.
Over the past year, widespread human rights violations have been reported in Bangladesh under the interim government, according to the Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG). Between August 2024 and July 2025, at least 637 people, including 41 police personnel, were reportedly lynched—marking a 1,250% increase from the 51 lynching deaths recorded in 2023 during Sheikh Hasina’s administration.
The RRAG alleged that the justice system has collapsed, citing the removal of 21 Supreme Court and High Court judges and the dissolution of all members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). It added that criminal cases were filed against over 5.16 lakh people—including 79,491 named and 4,36,836 unnamed individuals—across 1,567 cases.
The report further claimed that 878 journalists were targeted, with 51 cases filed and 39 arrests made under the Cyber Security Act, 2023. Additionally, 2,485 incidents of violence against religious and ethnic minorities were recorded.
According to the RRAG, freedom of association and assembly has been effectively denied to the Awami League, its affiliated organisations, the indigenous communities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), and Hindu minorities. It said both the Awami League and Chhatra League were banned, while indigenous protesters were attacked by illegal settlers and the Bangladesh Army in Dighinala, Khagrachari Sadar, and Rangamati Sadar on September 19–20, 2024, following their “March for Identity” rally.
The RRAG also highlighted the case of Hindu priest Chinmoy Das, who was charged with sedition and murder after organising a peaceful protest at Chittagong’s Lal Dighi ground on October 25, 2024. He has been in detention since November 25, 2024.
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“At a time when Bangladesh needs a functioning National Human Rights Institution the most, it has been without one for an entire year. The GANHRI must act urgently to suspend the NHRC of Bangladesh without further delay,” said Chakma.
