Dhaka: Human Rights Watch has presented a report on the July Uprising to Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, stating that officers have informed them that the ousted Bangladesh dictator, Sheikh Hasina, “directly ordered enforced disappearances and killings.”
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, a Human Rights Watch (HRW) delegation led by Elaine Pearson, the Asia Director of the organization, met with Professor Muhammad Yunus and commended the Interim Government for its reform initiatives and efforts to improve the human rights situation in the country. “We commend the progress you have made so far,” Pearson stated, emphasizing the importance of human rights recognized by ordinary citizens following the July-August Monsoon Revolution.
The HRW report recommended dismantling the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), urging accountability for officers responsible for extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. “There needs to be some accountability,” Pearson noted. Chief Adviser Prof Yunus acknowledged HRW’s efforts during Sheikh Hasina’s regime, highlighting the exposure of widespread crimes through the organization’s reports over 16 years. While the RAB has issued a public apology, Yunus stressed the need for trials and punishment for individual officers involved in these crimes.
Pearson criticized the politicization of security forces under Sheikh Hasina’s rule from 2009 to 2024, likening their actions to ruling “party cadres” and calling for systematic reforms. Prof Yunus asserted the government’s commitment to transparency, stating, “We are publishing all reform recommendations, allowing the people to decide on the desired reforms. Undoing 15 years of oppression and crimes will be a challenging endeavour.”
The HRW report detailed that officers involved in enforced disappearances claimed Sheikh Hasina or senior government officials were aware of incommunicado detentions, with Hasina allegedly directly ordering some disappearances and killings. During her visit, Pearson met with various reform commission chiefs and the Chief Adviser’s High Representative on Rohingya issues. HRW emphasized the need for cementing reforms and bringing security forces under proper oversight.
Chief Adviser Yunus also discussed the creation of a safe zone for displaced Rohingyas in Rakhine, expressing hope for security guarantees from the UN, international communities, and the Arakan Army.