Mass arrest of Jasad activists is assault on civil, political rights in Bangladesh: HRW

The mass arrest of activists of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad) at a meeting in Dhaka on 26 September amounts to an assault on civil and political rights in Bangladesh, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.

Police detained around 290 Jasad supporters after members of the Bangladesh Jatiyotabadi Jubo Dal alleged that the gathering was a “secret” meeting of the banned Awami League, according to HRW.

A court later remanded 27 of those arrested in custody over allegations that they had chanted “Joy Bangla”, a slogan associated with the Awami League, the rights organisation said.

Jasad was part of the 14-party alliance led by the Awami League, which governed Bangladesh from 2009 until 2024.

The Awami League government was toppled following student-led protests in 2024 in which hundreds of people were killed amid a crackdown by security forces.

HRW said the current government, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), came to power in February after promising to restore human rights and the rule of law but has since targeted perceived opponents through arbitrary detention.

“Past violations of those rights committed when the Awami League was in power cannot justify the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s current violations of the same rights,” HRW said.

The rights organisation also pointed to recent arrests of alleged Awami League supporters.

On 26 September, police in Barisal detained 12 Awami League activists for allegedly holding a “secret” meeting to “plan sabotage”. Two days later, 15 people were arrested in Dhaka under the Anti-Terrorism Act on similar allegations.

Those detained in both incidents said they had gathered to mark former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s birthday, according to HRW.

The organisation said police have repeatedly raided alleged gatherings of Awami League supporters since the party was banned.

HRW also recalled widespread rights violations during Hasina’s tenure, including allegations of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture and arbitrary detention of political opponents.

It said international human rights law guarantees freedom of expression and association and that violations committed by a previous government cannot justify similar restrictions by the current authorities.

The rights organisation warned that Bangladesh’s history contains examples of the consequences of political repression and called for respect for civil and political rights.