Bangladesh seeks accountability for past crimes. Human Rights Watch warns against political vendettas.

Human Rights Watch said Bangladesh authorities are failing to ensure international fair trial standards at the International Crimes Tribunal, raising concerns about arbitrary arrests, limited defense rights and potentially unreliable evidence.

Prosecutors submitted charges against 41 people for crimes against humanity and genocide on July 27. The defendants include politicians, security force members and two journalists.

Human Rights Watch said passages appeared to have been duplicated across multiple witness statements in one case. It also cited allegations that a former prosecutor offered to secure bail for 10 million takas, approximately $81,000 at the current exchange rate. The prosecutor resigned, but an investigation remains incomplete.

“Bangladesh needs to urgently reform its criminal justice system,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch. She said authorities must prevent political vendettas based on weak investigations and arbitrary allegations.