The Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), a Delhi-based human rights watchdog, has accused the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) of failing to take action against Bangladesh’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), which has remained non-functional since November 7, 2024.

In a letter to GANHRI, the RRAG alleged that the international body had ignored repeated calls for intervention, even after the dismissal of all NHRC members by Bangladesh’s interim government — a move allegedly aimed at protecting the image of Chief Advisor and Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus.

Complaint filed, but no action taken

The RRAG said it had formally filed a complaint with GANHRI on November 8, 2024, urging the suspension of Bangladesh’s NHRC in light of its dissolution. However, nearly a year later, no concrete steps have been taken, and the interim government has yet to appoint new members to the commission.

The dismissal of NHRC Chairperson Kamal Uddin Ahmed and members Md Salim Reza, Aminul Islam, Kongjari Chowdhury, Biswajit Chanda, and Tania Haque took place on November 7, 2024. The move followed an NHRC October 2024 report highlighting a rise in mob violence, rapes, political harassment, and attacks on political leaders across Bangladesh.

GANHRI accused of double standards

RRAG Director Suhas Chakma said GANHRI’s continued recognition of Bangladesh’s now non-existent NHRC as a “B-status” member undermines the credibility and impartiality of its accreditation process under the Paris Principles.

He noted that GANHRI had suspended the memberships of other national human rights bodies under similar circumstances — including those of Afghanistan (July 2022), Myanmar, Niger, and the Russian Federation (July 2023).

“However, in the case of Bangladesh, even a scheduled meeting with GANHRI on March 4, 2025, could not take place as the organisation failed at the last minute to provide the venue or a contact person,” Chakma added.

Human rights deterioration under interim government

The RRAG’s findings paint a grim picture of widespread human rights violations in Bangladesh over the past year. Between August 2024 and July 2025, at least 637 people, including 41 police personnel, were reportedly lynched — a 1,250% increase from 2023’s tally of 51 lynching deaths during the Sheikh Hasina government.

The group alleged a collapse of the justice system, pointing to the removal of 21 judges from the Supreme Court and High Court and the dissolution of the NHRC. It added that 1,567 criminal cases were filed against over 5.16 lakh people, including 79,491 named and 4,36,836 unnamed individuals.

Journalists and minorities targeted

According to the RRAG, 878 journalists were targeted over the past year, with 51 cases filed and 39 arrests made under the Cyber Security Act, 2023. The report also recorded 2,485 incidents of violence against religious and ethnic minorities.

Freedom of association and assembly, the RRAG said, has been effectively denied to the Awami League, its affiliated organisations, the indigenous communities of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), and Hindu minorities.

Both the Awami League and its student wing, the Chhatra League, were allegedly banned, while indigenous demonstrators were attacked by settlers and the Bangladesh Army during their “March for Identity” rallies in Dighinala, Khagrachari Sadar, and Rangamati Sadar on September 19–20, 2024.

The RRAG also highlighted the case of Hindu priest Chinmoy Das, who was charged with sedition and murder after organising a peaceful protest at Chittagong’s Lal Dighi ground on October 25, 2024. He has remained in detention since November 25, 2024.

“At a time when Bangladesh needs a functioning National Human Rights Institution the most, it has been without one for an entire year,” Chakma said. “The GANHRI must act urgently to suspend the NHRC of Bangladesh without further delay.”

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