British Bangladeshis protest human rights abuses under unelected Yunus administration

Over 2,000 members of the Bangladeshi diaspora in the UK held a demonstration in Trafalgar Square on 15 September to protest the repression, human rights abuses and undemocratic activities exhibited by the unelected interim government in Bangladesh.

The protesters marched from Trafalgar Square to Downing Street, where they handed over a letter addressed to the Prime Minister. Within the letter, the Bangladeshi diaspora expressed their concern about the decline of the rule of law and the assaults on Bangladesh’s free, pluralistic and democratic political culture.

The current state of Bangladesh has drawn international condemnation from human rights organisations who have criticised the repression of media, violence against religious minorities, and the persecution of an entire political party and its supporters.

In the past year, the unelected interim government has banned the Awami League from participating in future elections. By doing so, tens of millions of Bangladeshis will be disenfranchised.

The protesters also criticised the thousands of arbitrary and politically motivated charges that have been filed against supporters of the Awami League. According to Human Rights Watch, in the Yunus administration’s first 100 days in power, more than 1,000 police cases were filed against tens of thousands of people with no legal basis. More recently, the police arbitrarily detained hundreds of alleged Awami League supporters and filed cases against over 8,400 unnamed people in ten murder cases.

Members of the media and judiciary have also been targeted because of their political allegiance. Over 160 journalists deemed to be sympathetic to the former government have had their press accreditation suspended, and several senior journalists have been arrested and detained, some on false murder charges, with limited access to lawyers. 

The crowds in central London also protested attacks on religious minorities that have taken place since the Yunus administration seized power. In the first three months of Yunus’ rule, over 2,000 attacks against Hindus and other religious minorities were reported, and these targeted acts of violence continue to this day.

In their letter to the Prime Minister, the protesters called on the UK Government for its support.

“The UK Government cannot stand by while its close ally descends into lawlessness. The history of our two countries is intertwined. Hundreds of thousands of concerned people living in Great Britain today with family and friends in Bangladesh want to see the UK take a proactive interest.

We ask the Government to hold the interim administration to account for the human rights abuses over which it has presided; to supervise free and fair democratic elections; and to enlist the support of the international community where necessary to ensure that democracy prevails in Bangladesh.”