Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Bangladesh’s interim government to take urgent steps to prevent mob attacks that are threatening the country’s fragile democratic transition.
The appeal comes after violent groups stormed the offices of two leading newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, following the death of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi. Hadi, a young leader who rose to prominence during the 2024 student-led July uprising, was shot to death by assailants, sparking unrest across the capital.
In a statement, Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said, “The assassination of the youth leader Osman Hadi was a terrible act. Bangladesh authorities should now take urgent steps to prevent the mob attacks that have taken hold in the country since the Hasina government was ousted last August, and should ensure conditions for free, fair, and participatory elections in February.”
“The attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star are an alarming assault on freedom of expression,” she also said.
She added, “Incitement to violence by some political actors, including on social media, is contributing to an environment in which journalists, political and social activists, and even artists and singers, are deliberately placed in danger.”
Bangladesh is facing a difficult battle to restore democracy and safeguard human rights following years of Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian rule, said the HRW statement.
It added, Although the interim government has scheduled elections for 12 February, 2026, ongoing political unrest and weak enforcement of the rule of law continue to endanger “civic space” and heighten the risk of further “rights abuses”.
Osman Hadi died at around 9:30pm on Thursday at Singapore General Hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment. He was shot in the head by assailants on 12 December in the Box Culvert Road area of Old Paltan in Dhaka, a day after the announcement of the schedule for the 13th national parliamentary election and referendum.
He was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later shifted to Evercare Hospital. As his condition worsened, he was airlifted to Singapore for advanced treatment on 15 December.
