Bangladesh’s interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is facing mounting criticism for using the country’s amended Anti-Terrorism Act to suppress political dissent, Human Rights Watch said Thursday.
The watchdog accused the administration of replicating the abuses of the deposed Awami League government, arresting thousands of opposition figures, journalists, and activists on politically motivated charges. Sixteen people, including academics and elderly participants at a Dhaka discussion on Bangladesh’s 1971 independence, were detained under the anti-terror law after being attacked by a mob.
“The interim government should not be engaging in the same partisan behavior that Bangladeshis had to endure under Sheikh Hasina,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Stuffing prisons with opponents or shutting down dissent only undermines hopes for a democratic transition.”
Elections are scheduled for February 2026, but rights groups say the current crackdown threatens that process.