By Advocate Shahanur Islam
Fourteen months later, those hopes are shattered. The violence never stopped; it only changed hands, and some forms of violence have increased dramatically. Although this new wave of repression continues, the foreign diplomatic missions in Dhaka, so vocal in preaching democratic values during the previous tenure have chosen silence.
The Yunus government began with bold promises of transparent governance, human rights, rule of law, and independence of the judiciary. Instead, Bangladesh has entered yet another cycle of fear. Past abuses remain unpunished, and new ones continue to multiply.
According to France-based human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), the situation is grim: more than 192,000 people have been charged since August 2024, many in blanket political cases; more than 79 opposition figures and activists have been victimized in extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths, including deaths in prison due to negligence of treatment.
Journalists have been detained, women journalists harassed, and Hindu, LGBTQI+, and indigenous communities assaulted with impunity. More than 849 lawyers have been persecuted, judges pressured, and fabricated cases clog the system. Torture and intimidation continue under different uniforms. Hundreds of shrines have been attacked, vandalized, or set on fire.
In the face of these abuses, one would expect an outcry from the diplomatic quarter — the embassies of countries that claim to champion human rights. Instead, the silence is chilling.
Most foreign missions issue routine statements about “monitoring the situation,” “supporting reform,” or “encouraging stability.” They host receptions, sign trade deals, and post photos with interim ministers. None publicly confronts the violence.
Bangladesh’s location between India, China, and the Bay of Bengal makes it strategically indispensable. Its garment industry and shipping routes feed global markets. In this calculus, principles yield to interests. Human rights become a talking point, not a policy.
But silence has consequences. It signals approval to those who torture and intimidate. It abandons those who speak truth to power. And it undermines the credibility of Western democracies that condemn tyranny elsewhere while averting their eyes in Dhaka.
Embassies often justify their quietude by invoking “non-interference in domestic affairs.” But Bangladesh is bound by international treaties, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention Against Torture, which make human rights protection a global responsibility. Speaking out is not interference; it is an obligation.
Diplomatic silence, on the other hand, becomes complicity. Under the Vienna Convention, diplomacy exists to promote peace and goodwill, impossible goals when repression reigns unchallenged.
If foreign missions genuinely seek stability, they should know that peace built on fear is temporary. True stability requires justice, accountability, and trust.
The embassies’ quiet diplomacy leaves Bangladesh’s civil-society groups dangerously exposed. Human-rights defenders are threatened or forced into exile. Journalists covering protests receive death threats online. Women activists face relentless harassment.
Yet when they turn to international partners for solidarity, they find closed doors. Even travel visas for conferences or training programs are delayed or denied.
Muhammad Yunus came to office on a wave of moral expectation. The international community, from Washington to Brussels, hailed his appointment as a victory for moderation and reform.
But moral prestige cannot substitute for political will. Yunus’s administration has failed to protect judicial independence, restrain abusive security forces, or prevent mob violence. Its reform commissions remain paper exercises. Its rhetoric of unity coexists with acts of division and fear.
By tolerating ongoing abuses, the interim government is eroding the very credibility that once distinguished Yunus as a humanitarian leader. The Nobel Peace laureate now presides over a system that continues to silence dissent.
Foreign missions are not powerless. They possess the economic, political, and symbolic leverage to push for change. They can and should speak publicly against arbitrary arrests, detention, and censorship. Naming violations matters; secrecy protects perpetrators.
They can support independent investigations into extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths, including allegations of deaths in prison due to negligence or improper treatment, and claims of slow positioning of justice.
They can impose conditions on aid and trade benefits, including EU GSP+ status, tied to measurable human rights improvements, as well as protect human-rights defenders and journalists through emergency visas, relocation assistance, and trial observation.
They should engage with civil society working beyond the influence of the current government, not just government officials, when shaping policy or aid programs.
These steps would not destabilize Bangladesh; they would strengthen the legitimacy of its institutions and reassure citizens that democracy still has allies abroad.
Bangladesh today is a moral test for the world’s diplomatic community. Will they defend universal rights only when politically convenient? Or will they stand with the people who continue to demand justice despite risk and fear?
The silence of the embassies is not neutrality. It is a political act, one that emboldens repression and diminishes hope. Each unspoken word widens the gulf between democratic rhetoric and reality.
History will not only record the names of those who pulled the triggers or signed the arrest warrants. It will also remember those who could have spoken and did not.
If the diplomatic community truly believes in human rights, rule of law, democracy, and good governance, now is the moment to prove it with words, with action, with courage.
About the Author
Shahanur Islam is a Bangladeshi human rights lawyer living in exile in France and the Founding President of JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF). He focuses on defending freedom of expression, promoting minority rights and judicial independence, and ensuring accountability for state violence in Bangladesh. You can reach him by email: shahanur.islam@jmbf.org | Website: www.jmbf.org
No comments:
Post a Comment