Rights groups condemn crackdown on Bangladesh lawyers

Several international human rights organisations and bar councils have strongly condemned what they describe as a “politically motivated” campaign of repression against lawyers in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus.

In a joint statement issued on Wednesday, 15 international human rights organisations and bar councils expressed deep concern over the “systematic targeting” of members of the legal community for performing their professional duties and exercising their political rights.

The statement cited findings from Justicemakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), a France-based human rights organisation, which documented 268 verified incidents of persecution affecting 849 lawyers between August 2024 and September 2025.

According to JMBF, 200 of those incidents—targeting 721 lawyers—involved false or politically motivated charges such as murder, attempted murder, sabotage, seditious conspiracy, and extortion. These charges, the report said, were used to criminalise and silence lawyers.

“The evidence reveals a coordinated, politically motivated campaign orchestrated by the Interim Government, led by former Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus, and its allies, targeting lawyers for their political affiliations, professional responsibilities, and organisational engagements. This campaign has undermined the independence of the legal profession, obstructed justice, and threatened the rule of law,” the joint statement read.

It further noted that the repression has been “overwhelmingly political,” disproportionately affecting lawyers affiliated with the Bangladesh Awami League (BAL). JMBF recorded 236 incidents involving 795 victims, representing 88 per cent of all cases and 93 per cent of all victims nationwide—figures the groups say indicate a deliberate attempt to neutralise pro-BAL lawyers and obstruct justice.

Expressing grave concern, the organisations condemned these “politically motivated and systematic” attacks, urging the Yunus-led interim government to immediately end all forms of persecution against lawyers, release all detained legal professionals, and withdraw all politically motivated charges.

The statement also called on the government to ensure lawyers’ protection from harassment, intimidation, and violence, to guarantee justice for victims of persecution, and to create an enabling environment where lawyers can perform their duties freely and without fear.

Additionally, the signatories appealed to the international community—including bar associations, human rights organisations, the United Nations Human Rights Council, the European Parliament, and the European Commission—to closely monitor the situation in Bangladesh and extend support to lawyers under threat.

Source: IANS