A France-based human rights organization, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), has released its Annual Report 2025, documenting widespread human rights violations during the first year of Bangladesh’s interim government led by Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus. The report covers the period from August 2024 to July 2025 and highlights 70 deaths in 60 incidents involving extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths carried out by law enforcement personnel, prison authorities, and other security forces across the country. The report was researched by JMBF Executive Committee member Jannatul Ferdous and edited by the organization’s founding president, Advocate Shahanur Islam.
According to the findings, 43 people, or 55 percent of the deceased, died directly at the hands of security forces, while 27 people, or 45 percent, died in custody, mostly due to torture in police remand and medical negligence. The majority of the victims were leaders, activists, or supporters of the Bangladesh Awami League, though minority communities, workers, and non-political citizens were also affected. The report emphasizes that these incidents occurred across multiple regions, indicating systemic failures in accountability among state institutions.
The report details several high-profile incidents, including the killing of five people in Gopalganj when the army opened fire on a peaceful protest rally. In Gaibandha and Gopalganj, Awami League supporters were reportedly tortured to death by joint forces, while in Khagrachhari, three indigenous people were killed during firing by joint forces following a communal attack. Additionally, six leaders and supporters died in custody due to physical torture in police remand, and two garment workers, including one woman, were killed in Dhaka during a wage protest. A child was also killed in Barishal by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel, and five prison inmates died in Bogura due to medical negligence.
Geographically, the highest number of incidents occurred in Dhaka Division, with 23 incidents resulting in 28 victims, followed by Chattogram, where 21 people were killed in 17 incidents. The report notes that politically important regions, such as Dhaka and Chattogram, accounted for nearly 70 percent of all deaths, with direct killings by security forces more prevalent in these areas. Custodial deaths were higher in regions such as Rajshahi, reflecting differences in the patterns of human rights violations across divisions.
The report also identifies the wide involvement of state agencies in these violations, including the police, army, joint forces, RAB, Coast Guard, Navy, Air Force, intelligence agencies, and the Department of Narcotics Control. JMBF emphasizes that these incidents are not isolated accidents but reflect a broader failure of accountability in state institutions. The primary causes of death were torture, particularly in police remand, followed by shootings by security forces, and medical negligence in prisons.
JMBF further highlighted that only seven families of victims were able to pursue legal action, while the remaining 63 families were unable to do so due to fear and a repressive environment. The organization described this as a “deeply entrenched culture of impunity,” which undermines trust in state institutions and perpetuates human rights violations. While the interim government has acknowledged the need for reforms in law enforcement and the judiciary, the report notes that progress has been slow and no effective measures have yet been implemented.
French human rights activist and JMBF chief advisor Robert Simon said the report serves both as a record of atrocities and a roadmap for accountability. He warned that if immediate action is not taken, ongoing extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths could push Bangladesh toward a fascist state. Advocate Shahanur Islam also criticized the Yunus administration for allowing state institutions to act as tools of repression, with police, army, and prison authorities committing violations with impunity and the judiciary compromised.
The report concludes with urgent recommendations, calling on the interim government to halt extrajudicial killings and custodial torture, establish an independent international investigation commission, and bring perpetrators to justice under existing law. It also appeals to the international community, including the United Nations, European Union, International Criminal Court, and foreign governments, to consider sanctions, suspend security cooperation, and explore the possibility of referring the situation in Bangladesh to the International Criminal Court.
