A total of 6,647 human rights violation incidents took place in the country between August 2024 and July 2025. Thirty-five state-sponsored extrajudicial killings occurred during the period. Of which 12 were killed after 5 August last year.
Additionally, 2,878 murders, 195 mob lynchings, and 496 attacks on journalists were reported, along with other forms of rights violations.
The figures were released by Sapran (Shokol Praner Nirapotta), a newly formed rights-based think tank working on human rights, climate justice, and legal reforms, at a roundtable titled “Human Rights in Transition: Accountability, Institutions and Fragility in Post-Uprising Bangladesh” in the city on Wednesday.
Speaking the roundtable, the organisation’s researcher, Opshora Islam Tondra, said they compiled their report based on information gathered from mainstream media.
The report showed a sharp gap between reformist promises and persistent structural weaknesses, with gender-based violence and mob lynchings remaining widespread, exposing weak state deterrence.
It added that mob lynching, and border violence arose, while state-enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, arrests under the CSA/DSA, and custodial deaths have decreased compared to the authoritarian period, overall human rights conditions remain fragile.
However, law enforcement agencies remain far from human rights–friendly, particularly in their use of force, reflected in recurring labor rights violations and deaths in custody, the presentation added.
The interim government’s limited control over law enforcement and the judiciary, coupled with competing local power centers, has created a fragmented and vulnerable governance landscape. These conditions, the presentation noted, have allowed both state and non-state actors to act with impunity.
Describing the interim administration as a non-elected, resource-limited caretaker struggling to balance governance and reform, the presentation showed its dependence on unaccountable power centers and delayed crisis response have allowed a “State of Nature” to persist.
Perpetrators of mob violence rarely face punishment due to police inaction, weak investigations, and frequent filing of cases against “unidentified” persons. This cycle of atrocity, condemnation, and impunity encourages mobs to act without fear.
The report identified rumors and moral panic on Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok as key triggers for mob attacks, as false accusations spread faster than authorities can respond, often amplified by coordinated online campaigns.
Before the interim government assumed office, most violations were state-directed, with security forces as the main perpetrators. In the post-uprising period, however, non-state actors — mobs, political groups, religious factions, and local power centers — have become the main offenders, filling the vacuum left by weakened institutions, according to the presentation.
Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser Shafiqul Alam said Bangladesh faces new challenges amid shifting power dynamics, even witnessing attacks on shrines. He claimed the real situation is “far better than newspapers portray,” though all violence is unacceptable.
He blamed Facebook for spreading communal hatred, saying many attacks on minorities originated from misinformation. “Facebook must be held accountable,” he said, noting that 2,000–3,000 fake news posts go viral daily while only nine are fact-checked monthly.
Alam added that Facebook’s negligence also fueled propaganda contributing to the Rohingya crisis, forcing Bangladesh to host around one million refugees. “We must raise our voice against Facebook’s irresponsibility,” he said.
Among others, Supreme Court advocate Sara Hossain and Mayer Daak coordinator Sanjida Islam Tulee spoke at the event.
Alam, a former journalist, also criticized reports based on newspaper data, questioning their authenticity. He said Bangladeshi newspapers have long published false information on extrajudicial killings, making such reports unreliable.
