The human rights situation in Bangladesh has come under renewed international scrutiny as the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) adopted a unanimous resolution expressing grave concern over the treatment of several detained former parliamentarians. The move, at the IPU Governing Council’s 216th session in Geneva on 23 October 2025, marks a significant censure of the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, amid allegations of arbitrary arrests, inhumane detention, and politically motivated prosecutions.
The Rights and Risks Analysis Group (RRAG), one of the complainants that brought the issue before the IPU, welcomed the resolution and said it underscored the deepening crisis of democracy and justice in Bangladesh. The IPU resolution addressed the cases of six arrested Awami League leaders—Saber Chowdhury, Fazle Karim Chowdhury, Habibe Millat, Asaduzzaman Noor, Mosharraf Hossain, and Muhammad Faruk Khan—who face multiple charges and are reportedly being held in deteriorating conditions without due process.
According to the RRAG, the situation reflects an alarming pattern of state repression, with over a hundred former parliamentarians, all from the Awami League, currently in detention. The recent death in custody of MP Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun on 29 September 2025 has further heightened concerns about prison conditions and the fairness of judicial proceedings.
The IPU noted that its independent trial observer had twice been denied timely visas to monitor the court proceedings, and repeated requests for an IPU delegation to visit Bangladesh have gone unanswered. This, the RRAG said, suggests the interim government is attempting to conceal the extent of rights violations and the absence of judicial independence.
“The denial of visas to IPU observers shows that the interim government is operating through kangaroo courts and has serious human rights abuses to hide,” said Suhas Chakma, Director of the RRAG. He added that the IPU’s findings reveal a government that has “no respect for the rule of law” despite the international goodwill enjoyed by Dr Yunus.
The IPU resolution also voiced concern over the appalling prison conditions reportedly affecting the health of detainees and the possibility that some charges could carry the death penalty. It emphasized the need for an impartial investigation and reiterated its intent to send a delegation to Bangladesh at the earliest opportunity.
Calling on the global community to act, the RRAG said the resolution should serve as a wake-up call for international supporters of the interim administration. “Those who believe that Dr Yunus stands for democracy and human rights must confront the reality that his government has weaponized the justice system against political opponents,” Chakma stated, adding that the case for holding the Yunus government accountable—and even revisiting his Nobel honour—is growing stronger.
