Bangladesh: 16 International Organisations Condemn Ad Hoc Bar Council Committee and Alleged Exclusion of Over 300 Lawyers from Bar Elections

PARIS, FRANCE | 7 JULY 2026 — Sixteen international human rights and lawyers’ organisations have expressed deep concern and strongly condemned the formation of an ad hoc committee to administer the Bangladesh Bar Council and the alleged politically motivated exclusion of more than 300 lawyers from elections in at least 23 bar associations across Bangladesh.

JOINT STATEMENT: Condemning Politically Motivated Exclusion, Intimidation, and Interference in the Democratic Governance of the Legal Profession in Bangladesh

Paris | Brussels | The Hague | Berlin | Geneva | Rome | Bordeaux | Canberra | Vilnius | Varanasi | Astana | 7 July 2026

We, the undersigned sixteen international human rights organisations, bar associations, and law societies from across the globe, express our profound concern and unequivocally condemn the widespread obstruction, intimidation, and politically motivated exclusion of lawyers identified as supporters of the Awami League or as independent candidates from participating in bar association elections throughout Bangladesh since the formation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led Government under the leadership of Tarique Rahman on 17 February 2026.

JMBF Launches Petition Calling for Abolition of the Death Penalty in Bangladesh

Paris, France | 4 July 2026: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) has launched a public petition calling for the immediate establishment of an official moratorium on executions, the commutation of all existing death sentences, and the complete abolition of the death penalty in Bangladesh. You are invited to sign and share the petition: “Bangladesh: End the Death Penalty Now.”

URGENT APPEAL: Immediately Suspend the Eviction of 12 Harijan Community Families from the Residential Premises of Naogaon Sadar Upazila Health Complex

URGENT ACTION REQUESTED: Threatened Eviction of 12 Harijan Families in Naogaon, Bangladesh

Dear Colleagues,

Greetings from JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF).

JMBF urgently seeks your intervention regarding the threatened eviction of 12 families belonging to the historically marginalized Harijan community, who have reportedly lived for approximately 80 years on the residential premises of the Naogaon Sadar Upazila Health Complex in Bangladesh.

BANGLADESH ALERT: JMBF Strongly Condemns Mob Vigilantism and Arbitrary Arrests of Individuals Accused of Consensual Same-Sex Relationships

Paris, France | 2 July 2026: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses its strongest condemnation of, and profound concern over, the recent incidents involving mob vigilantism, arbitrary arrests, unlawful detention, and the criminal prosecution of individuals accused of engaging in consensual same-sex relationships following incidents that occurred in Faridpur and Barguna on 20 June and 11 June 2026, respectively.

JMBF Quarterly eNewsletter: April-June 2026

As we conclude the second quarter of 2026 (April–June), we continue to witness both the urgency and resilience that define the human rights landscape in which we operate. Across communities, profound challenges persist—yet inspiring acts of courage, solidarity, and advocacy continue to remind us that meaningful change is possible through collective action.

JMBF President Highlights LGBTQI+ Rights Crisis in Bangladesh at Paris

Paris, France | 30 June 2026: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) President Advocate Shahanur Islam raised alarm over the escalating violence and discrimination against LGBTQI+ people in Bangladesh during the international event "Apéro-débat : Les droits LGBTQI+ dans le monde (LGBTQI+ Rights Around the World)", organized by Solidarité International LGBTQI+, in collaboration with Agir ensemble pour les droits humains and the LGBTQI+ Center of Paris and Île-de-France, on 29 June 2026 at the LGBTQI+ Center of Paris.

BANGLADESH ALERT: JMBF Calls for Independent Investigation into Female Garment Worker’s Death and Police Violence in Gazipur

Paris, France | 28 June 2026: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses its profound concern, strong condemnation, and outrage over the baton charge, the deployment of sound grenades, and the excessive use of force by the Industrial Police against peacefully assembled garment workers in Tepirbari, Sreepur Upazila, Gazipur, following the death of a female garment worker, leaving at least 12 workers injured on 27 June 2026.