Press & Public Statement: JMBF Gravely Concerned Over Mass Arrests of Opposition Political Activists in Operation Devil Hunt

Paris, France; February 15, 2025 – France-based human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) unequivocally condemns the mass arrests of opposition political activists, particularly leaders, activists, and supporters of the Bangladesh Awami League and its affiliated wings. These arrests carried out without legal warrants, have led to grave human rights violations under Operation Devil Hunt, which began on February 12, 2025, in Bangladesh.

This operation, conducted by a joint force comprising the Bangladesh Army, Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and even student groups allegedly involved in anti-discrimination efforts, has resulted in the arbitrary arrest of over 5,000 individuals without warrants or specific charges. Among those arrested are elderly individuals above 70 years of age, cancer patients, and women—many of whom are being targeted solely due to their political beliefs and affiliations with the Awami League and its associated organizations.

JMBF asserts that such a massive crackdown is being used as a tool to silence dissent and eliminate opposition voices. These politically motivated arrests violate fundamental human rights and undermine the principles of justice and due process.

Press and Public Statement: JMBF Strongly Condemns the Arbitrary Arrests of Six Lawyers in Different Parts of Bangladesh for Opposing Political Beliefs

Paris, France; February 10, 2025 – France-based human rights organization, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), strongly condemns and is deeply concerned over the recent wave of politically motivated arbitrary arrests of six lawyers in different parts of Bangladesh. These include Advocate Nurul Huda, Advocate Zahir Uddin, and Advocate Javed Hossain Monowar from the Lakshmipur Bar Association on February 3, 2025, and December 14, 2024; Advocate Aman Ullah Akash, President of the Jamalpur Bar Association on February 3, 2025; Advocate Rabiul Islam Robi from the Dhaka Bar Association on December 24, 2024; and Advocate Momtaz Uddin Mehdi, former Deputy Attorney General and Supreme Court Bar General Secretary on November 10, 2024. These arbitrary arrests represent a clear violation of fundamental rights and a direct attack on the independence of the legal profession, setting a dangerous precedent for the rule of law in Bangladesh.

JMBF asserts that the arrest and detention of these six lawyers have been carried out without due process, solely based on their professional and political engagements. Most of them have been implicated in cases where they were neither directly named in the First Information Report (FIR) nor had any evidence presented against them but were instead included in lists of unidentified suspects. In some cases, bail petitions were rejected outright, and they were sent to jail without any credible legal justification, reflecting an alarming pattern of judicial suppression aimed at silencing dissenting voices.

Press & Public Statement: JMBF Strongly Condemns and Protests the Recent Unjust Detention of Two Lesbian Women at Islamic University, Kushtia, on Allegations of Homosexuality

Paris, France; January 23, 2025: France-based human rights organization, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), is deeply alarmed and outraged by the recent detention of two lesbian women at Khaleda Zia Hall of Islamic University (IU). Among the detained women, one student was forcefully expelled from the university residence hall, while another woman was handed over to the police solely because of their sexual orientation on January 21, 2025.

JMBF asserts that the actions taken by the hall authorities—including the unjust detention of these two women, the expulsion of a lesbian residential student based on allegations of homosexuality, and the handing over of an outsider to police custody—constitute a gross violation of human rights, blatant discrimination, and a disregard for the principles of justice and human dignity.

Press & Public Statement: JMBF Strongly Condemns the Unjust Imprisonment of Eight Lawyers in Khulna: Calls for Immediate Release & Dropping of Charges

Paris, France; January 17, 2025: The France-based human rights organization, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), is deeply concerned and strongly protests the politically motivated imprisonment of eight pro-Awami League lawyers, as well as the implication of 28 pro-Awami League lawyers of the Khulna District Lawyers' Association in false and fabricated cases by pro-BNP lawyers. On January 12, 2025, these legal professionals were unjustly detained following an order by Khulna Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md. Sharif Hossain Haider, in connection with a case that many believe to be fabricated and politically driven.

JMBF asserts that this incident is not just an attack on these individual lawyers—it is an assault on the fundamental principles of justice, legal independence, and democracy in Bangladesh. The use of the judiciary as a tool to silence political opposition is a deeply troubling sign of authoritarianism creeping into the legal system. The very professionals who uphold the law are now being victimized by the system they have sworn to serve.

JMBF urges the immediate release of all eight detained lawyers, as well as the dropping of charges against all 28 lawyers without conditions.

Statement: JMBF Expresses Grave Concern Over Harassment and Abuse of Minority Communities in Chittagong

Paris, France; December 30, 2024:  France-based human rights organisation JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses deep concern over the widespread harassment, extortion, and abuse of power targeting vulnerable Hindu religious and Dalit minority communities in Chittagong. These actions, perpetrated by law enforcement under the guise of investigating the tragic murder of lawyer Saiful Islam (Alif) at the Chittagong court premises, reveal a lack of impartiality and fairness in the investigative process.  

JMBF strongly urges the government to ensure the safety, dignity, and protection of marginalized groups, including the Harijan community. The incidents of vandalism, harassment, and communal violence following the murder of lawyer Saiful Islam must be thoroughly investigated, and the perpetrators must be held accountable without delay.

STATEMENT: JMBF Strongly Condemns the Arbitrary Arrest of Lawyer Syed Kabir Hossain Jony in Jessore

Paris, France; December 23, 2024: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), a prominent France-based human rights organization, strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest of lawyer Syed Kabir Hossain Jony, a member of the Jashore District Bar Association, by Jashore police on December 22, 2024, for merely performing his professional duty.

This deeply troubling action, taken shortly after Mr. Jony represented 167 Awami League leaders and activists in court, constitutes a grave violation of human rights and undermines national and international principles safeguarding the independence of lawyers and the judiciary.

JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France urges the Government of Bangladesh to immediately and unconditionally release Syed Kabir Hossain Jony and drop all charges against him that criminalize his professional duties as a lawyer, as well as ensure the protection of all legal professionals from harassment and intimidation.

STATEMENT: JMBF Deeply Concerned and Condemns the Arrest and Detention of Chinmoy Krishna Das: Urges Immediate Unconditional Release

Paris, France; November 26, 2024: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), a France-based human rights organization, expresses its profound outrage and strongest condemnation of the unjust arrest and detention of Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, a revered Hindu priest and leading advocate for minority rights in Bangladesh.

His abrupt apprehension on November 25, 2024, at Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport in Dhaka and subsequent transfer to Chattogram under fabricated charges of sedition, represent yet another dark chapter in the systematic suppression of minority voices and democratic freedoms in Bangladesh under the interim government led by Nobel laureate Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

STATEMENT: JMBF Condemns Arbitrary Arrest and Inhumane Treatment of Barrister Syedul Haque Sumon, Calls for Immediate Release and Investigation

Paris, France; October 22, 2024: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest and degrading treatment of Barrister Syed Syedul Haque Sumon, a former Member of Parliament, renowned social worker, anti-corruption activist, and lawyer, who was detained by police in the early hours of October 22, 2024, in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His arrest, on questionable charges related to the anti-discrimination student movement, along with his inhumane treatment while in custody, represents a grave violation of national and international human rights standards.

STATEMENT: JMBF Urgently Calls for Justice and the Unconditional Release of Lawyers Mustafizur Rahman and Akram Hossain in Dhaka

Paris, France; October 20, 2024: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses its grave concern and strongly protests the recent arbitrary arrests of two lawyers associated with the Dhaka Lawyers Association while carrying out their professional duties. We urgently call for justice and the unconditional release of Advocates Mustafizur Rahman and Akram Hossain, who were detained solely for fulfilling their roles as defense lawyers.

Advocate Mustafizur Rahman Talukdar Dipu, the former Senior Deputy General Secretary of the Dhaka Lawyers Association, and Advocate Kazi Akram Hossain were unjustly arrested on the night of October 16, 2024, by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Civil Police on false charges of murder. This act clearly threatens their professional integrity and constitutes a violation of their human rights.

STATEMENT: JMBF Strongly Condemns the Politically Motivated Arbitrary Arrests of Prominent Cultural Figures, Journalists, and Lawyers in Bangladesh

Paris, France; September 18, 2024: France-based human rights organization, Justicemakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), has expressed profound concern over the politically motivated arbitrary arrests of prominent cultural activist Asaduzzaman Noor, writer and researcher Shahriar Kabir, Supreme Court lawyers Nurul Islam Sujan and Mahbub Ali, and journalists Mozammel Babu and Shyamal Dutta. JMBF is calling for the unconditional release of these distinguished cultural figures, writers, journalists, and lawyers, as well as the immediate withdrawal of all baseless charges filed against them

টাংগাইলে বাউল সংগীত শিল্পী গ্রেফতারে বিআইএইচআর গভীরভাবে উদ্বিগ্ন!

ধর্মীয় অনুভুতিতে আঘাত আনার অভিযোগে গত ১১ জানুয়ারী ২০২০ সালে টাঙ্গাইলে বাউল সংগীত শিল্পী শরিয়ত বয়াতী গ্রেফতারেবাংলাদেশ ইন্সটিটিউট অব হিউম্যান রাইটস ( বি আইএইচআর)গভীরভাবে উদ্বিগ্ন। বিআইএইচআর এর মহাসচিব অ্যাডভোকেট শাহানূর ইসলাম সৈকত বাউল শিল্পী শরিয়ত বয়াতী গ্রেফতারে তীব্র নিন্দা ও প্রতিবাদ জানিয়েছেন।