Bangladesh
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RFKHR Visit to RAB Secret Detention Site Underscores the Need for Further Accountability and Reform Efforts
Tags Share One year after the July Revolution, Bangladesh’s Interim Government should urgently act to provide meaningful redress to victims of enforced disappearances and other abuses and engage in security sector reform. For eight years, a lawyer named Mir Ahmad BinQuasem, known as Arman, was held by Bangladesh security forces in a secret detention site.…
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The Financial Express: US congressional briefing highlights Bangladesh’s democratic transition, global engagement
Tags Share A high-level congressional briefing in Washington, D.C. brought together lawmakers, diplomats, scholars, and diaspora leaders to assess Bangladesh’s evolving political landscape following the 2024 pro-democracy uprising. Titled “Bangladesh 2.0: Democracy, Reform, and Global Engagement,” the session explored governance reforms, human rights, and relations between the U.S. and Bangladesh. Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights’…
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Daily Sun: US experts urge stronger Bangladesh ties amid state reform push
Tags Share At a Capitol Hill session titled “Bangladesh 2.0: Democracy, Reform, and Global Engagement,” experts gathered to reflect on the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh, where protesters demanding democratic reforms faced violent crackdowns. The event spotlighted the uprising’s lasting impact on Bangladesh’s political future and its role on the global stage. Catherine Cooper of…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share U.S. Botched a Deal to Swap Venezuelans Held in El Salvador for Americans The Trump administration’s top diplomat, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, was overseeing a deal to free several Americans and dozens of political prisoners held in Venezuela in exchange for sending home about 250 Venezuelan migrants the United States had deported…
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Bangladesh: Extend the Mandate of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances to Ensure Truth and Accountability
Tags Share We, the undersigned international human rights organizations, urge the Interim Government of Bangladesh to extend the mandate of the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances until at least December 31, 2025. While the Commission’s mandate is set to expire on June 30, victims and their families deserve adequate time for the Commission to…
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Bangladesh: The Interim Government Must Ensure the Ordinance on Enforced Disappearances Aligns with International Standards Following Robust Public Consultations
Tags Share We – the undersigned human rights organisations – express our serious concerns about Bangladesh’s draft Enforced Disappearance Prevention and Redress Ordinance 2025. While it is critical to enact a law to hold perpetrators accountable for enforced disappearances, the current draft contains provisions that fail to adhere to international standards. The Interim Government took…
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Dhaka Tribune: Rights Organizations Demand Transparent Digital Laws in Bangladesh
Tags Share On Tuesday, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Access Now, ARTICLE 19, Human Rights Watch, PEN International, and Tech Global Institute stated that Bangladesh is experiencing significant systemic and structural changes, including reforms to cybersecurity and data protection laws. The groups stated,”Acknowledging the interim government of Bangladesh’s timely and necessary efforts to reform digital…
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Letter to the U.N. Secretary-General in Advance of His Visit to Bangladesh
Tags Share His Excellency António Guterres Secretary-General of the United Nations Dear Secretary-General: As human rights organizations, we write to respectfully urge you to do everything in your power to provide U.N. support to Bangladesh during this critical period in the country’s political transition. Bangladesh is now undergoing unprecedented changes following widespread protests that led to…
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This Week’s Spotlight on Human Rights
Tags Share UN Chief Guterres Says Human Rights Are Being Suffocated By Autocrats and Warmongers U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres says human rights are being “suffocated” around the world, lashing out at voices of division and anger who see them as a barrier to their quest for power and profit. In a speech to the Human Rights…
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The Daily Star: Digital law Reforms Hasty, Lack Transparency
Tags Share The Daily Star has reported that six international human rights organizations have raised concerns over Bangladesh’s proposed Cyber Protection Ordinance, 2025, and Personal Data Protection Ordinance, 2025, citing a lack of transparency and stakeholder consultation. In a joint statement, groups including Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and Human Rights Watch warned that the…
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The Business Standard: Bangladesh’s New Digital Laws Under Scrutiny
Tags Share The Business Standard has reported that human rights organizations are raising concerns over Bangladesh’s fast-tracked digital law reforms, warning that the public has been excluded from the process. Groups, including RFK Human Rights, have criticized the lack of transparency, particularly regarding amendments to the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulation Act, which could enable internet shutdowns…
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Joint Statement on Emerging Digital Laws in Bangladesh
Tags Share Bangladesh is undergoing a significant transitional phase, marked by wide-ranging systemic and structural transformations, including legislative reforms to cybersecurity and data protection statutes. Acknowledging the timely and necessary efforts of the Interim Government of Bangladesh to reform digital governance policies and regulatory frameworks, we, the undersigned organizations, remain concerned that these initiatives are…
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