The Forum is being held on 27 and 28 November 2025 at the United Nations premises in Geneva, Switzerland.
During his statement, Advocate Islam emphasized that despite constitutional protections, religious minorities, indigenous peoples, linguistic minorities, and marginalised gender-diverse groups, particularly LGBTQI+ individuals, continue to face systemic violations. These ongoing challenges, he warned, are eroding social cohesion and weakening public trust in state institutions.
He highlighted recent JMBF findings indicating that nearly 400 gender-diverse LGBTQI+ individuals have faced persecution over the past year. He cited several incidents illustrating this deteriorating environment. On 13 November, Professor Md. Ershad Halim of Dhaka University was arrested.
On 26 January, Professor Hafizul Islam of Kushtia Islamic University was suspended. On 10 August, transgender student Sahara Chowdhury was expelled from Sylhet Metropolitan University. In July, seven students at the Dhaka University of Engineering and Technology were expelled from their residence halls solely because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
He also expressed concern regarding religious minorities. On 19 November, two Hindu civil servants, Anup Kumar Biswas and Nabomita Sarkar were dismissed without formal justification, reportedly due to their religious identity. Such actions, he stressed, deepen fear and insecurity within affected communities.
Advocate Islam urged the Government of Bangladesh and international communities to conduct impartial investigations into these incidents, increase minority representation in decision-making, strengthen protections against persecution, safeguard minority women and girls, and promote community-based dialogue to rebuild trust and support peaceful coexistence.
His intervention underscored the urgent need for international attention and sustained efforts to protect the rights and dignity of all minority groups in Bangladesh.
In addition to delivering his statement, Advocate Shahanur Islam held three bilateral meetings on the same day with the offices of the United Nations Special Rapporteurs on Human Rights Defenders, Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association, and Freedom of Opinion and Expression.
During his meeting with the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders, Advocate Islam raised concerns about ongoing persecution and obstruction of human rights defenders by both state and non-state actors.
He highlighted the recent attempted arrest of JMBF Secretary General, Advocate Mohammad Alamgir, at his village home in Brahmanbaria. He urged the UN mandate holders to take immediate measures to ensure the safety and security of Advocate Alamgir and all human rights defenders in Bangladesh, enabling them to work without fear or intimidation.
At his meeting with the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association, Advocate Islam expressed grave concern over the recent banning of Bangladesh’s largest political party, the Bangladesh Awami League, and its affiliated wings by an executive order of the interim government.
He described the severe restrictions imposed on all Awami League activities, along with the ongoing persecution of its supporters, activists, and leaders through fabricated cases, arbitrary arrests, and detentions without specific charges or trials. He also raised alarm over the suspension of the Awami League’s registration by the National Election Commission and the government’s plan to conduct national elections excluding the country’s largest political party and its allied groups.
Finally, in his meeting with the Office of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Advocate Islam raised strong concerns about the crackdown on journalists in Bangladesh. He highlighted the 15-month imprisonment of journalist Farzana Rupa and her husband, veteran journalist Shakil Ahmed, based on 15 false and fabricated cases.
He noted that more than 167 journalists have had their accreditation revoked; 266 were implicated in false murder cases; and over 14 journalists were arrested on fabricated charges. More than 1,000 journalists were reportedly dismissed from their jobs; hundreds lost their press club memberships; and many media houses were vandalised or forcibly occupied, leaving the media sector under continuous threat.
For More Information:
Mosa. Jannatul Ferdaus
Member of the Executive Committee
JusticeMakers Bangadesh in France (JMBF)
CNB Premises, 180 Boulevard Haussmann, 75008 France
Email: info@jmbf.org; Website: www.jmbf.org
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PRESS RELEASE: JMBF Founder President Raises Concern at UN Forum on Minority Issues in Geneva by contact.jmbf
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