Dhaka, Jan 29 (IANS) Human rights body Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnes Callamard, has written to the Chief Advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus, expressing concerns over the Bangladeshi authorities’ continued misuse of anti-terror legislation against journalists, and their failure to safeguard the rights to life, personal security, and freedom of expression and association.
In her letter, Callamard called on the interim government to take immediate steps to ensure that protection of human rights is at the centre of Bangladesh’s February 12 elections. This included, she said, ending the misuse of security legislation against journalists and critics, ensuring that law enforcement authorities act promptly and lawfully to protect those exercising their rights and guaranteeing accountability for attacks on media workers and minorities across Bangladesh.
“The elections slated to be held on 12 February 2026 represent a critical moment for Bangladesh to chart a new course, towards a country where the rights and dignity of all people are not only respected but fostered. Although Bangladesh is a party to some of the core international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CAT), and International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR), barriers persist in the effective implementation of these standards through laws, policies and in practice,” the letter detailed.
Callamard condemned the violence following the death of radical Islamist leader Sharif Osman Hadi on December 18, 2025, where protesters set fire to the offices of Bangladeshi newspapers The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, attacked cultural institutions Chhayanaut and Udichi Shilpi Gosthi, and harassed the editor of a Bangladeshi English newspaper.
“Furthermore, Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu garment worker, was lynched by a violent mob, following allegations of blasphemy. These attacks are indicative of a critical failure to protect human rights – including the right to life, the right to security of person and the right to freedom of expression under articles 6, 9 and 19 of the ICCPR,” she stated
Condemning the attacks on media workers, Callamard noted, “they are part of a documented pattern of attacks against journalists, media workers, minorities and artists by non-state actors in 2025. Not only is Bangladesh duty-bound to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable, authorities must also seek to prevent attacks by private actors. The delayed response and ineffectiveness of law enforcement in the face of such violence reflects a failure of the authorities to uphold their human rights obligations.”
Stressing that the period leading up to the February 12 elections will be a decisive test of the interim government’s commitment to Bangladesh’s international obligations and to the rule of law, she said, “The choices made now will shape Bangladesh’s human rights trajectory for years to come, and the interim government must seize this opportunity to demonstrate genuine leadership by ensuring that all people in Bangladesh can participate freely, safely, and without fear in the country’s future.”
–IANS
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