Bangladesh’s newly elected Prime Minister, Tarique Rahman, and his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government face a critical moment to strengthen human rights protections, according to a joint letter from nine rights organizations. Rahman assumed office after a decisive victory in the February 2026 elections, which followed the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024 amid mass protests against her increasingly abusive 15-year rule. While Hasina’s tenure was marked by enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, the interim government that followed failed to fully prevent political repression, mob violence against journalists, and attacks on religious and cultural communities.
Human rights experts emphasized that Rahman’s broad mandate offers a chance to enact meaningful reforms. Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, highlighted the need for independent institutions capable of delivering accountability and upholding the rule of law, alongside concrete protections for freedoms such as religion and expression. The letter urged the government to end arbitrary detentions, hold perpetrators of past abuses accountable, and dismantle the controversial Rapid Action Battalion, which has been implicated in human rights violations.
The rights groups also called for stronger protections for ethnic and religious minorities and the more than one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. Establishing an independent and empowered National Human Rights Commission was cited as a key step to safeguard civil liberties. The organizations provided detailed policy and legislative recommendations to help the government implement these protections effectively.
During the election campaign, the BNP pledged to uphold human rights across economic, social, and environmental spheres, including increased investment in health, education, social security, and environmental protection. The new administration faces the challenge of turning these commitments into tangible actions that restore public trust and ensure lasting human rights reforms in Bangladesh.
