Human Rights Watch condemns arrests of opposition leaders, activists, supporters

International human rights organisation Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned the arrests of leaders, activists and supporters of the opposition parties in Bangladesh. The organisation has mentioned the incident of attack and arrests at the office of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad) in Dhaka on September 26 as an example of this.

In a statement published on Monday, HRW has said that the mass arrests of participants in a meeting of a small leftist party is the latest incident of the ongoing repression by the Bangladesh authorities on civil and political rights.

The statement of the organisation said that police took about 290 supporters of Jasad into custody. Members of the youth wing Jubodal of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) had raised the allegation that that gathering was a ‘secret’ meeting of the Awami League led by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Later the court sent 27 of the arrested persons to remand. There was an allegation against them of giving the slogan ‘Joy Bangla’, which is associated with the Awami League.

HRW has said that Jasad was part of the 14-party alliance led by the Awami League. That alliance ruled Bangladesh from 2009 to 2024. Later the government fell in a mass uprising led by students. The statement of the organisation said that hundreds of people were killed at the hands of the security forces at that time.

The statement further said that the currently ruling BNP had been subjected to intense repression during the tenure of the Awami League government. However, Elaine Pearson, Asia Director of HRW, claimed that the BNP has been arbitrarily detaining their potential political opponents since coming to power in February.

Elaine Pearson said that currently hundreds of Awami League members are in jail and no formal charges have been brought against most of them.

The statement of HRW said that police have repeatedly conducted operations on the alleged gatherings of Awami League supporters. On the day of the meeting of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal on September 26, 12 Awami League workers were arrested in Barishal. The allegation of holding a ‘secret’ meeting to make a ‘plan of sabotage’ was raised against them.

Two days later, 15 people were arrested in Dhaka under the anti-terrorism law on similar allegations. HRW has also mentioned in the statement that the persons arrested in these two incidents have claimed that they had gathered to celebrate the birthday of Sheikh Hasina.