BANGLADESH: JMBF Strongly Condemns Arbitrary Detention of Environmental Activist and Model Meghna Alam Under Draconian Law

Paris, France | April 13, 2025 — France-based human rights watchdog JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) strongly condemns the arbitrary arrest and preventive detention of environmental activist, model, and Chairperson of the Miss Bangladesh Foundation, Meghna Alam, under the Special Powers Act of 1974—a controversial law long criticized for suppressing dissent.

Meghna Alam, also crowned Miss Earth Bangladesh 2020, was detained from her residence in Dhaka on April 9, 2025, and transferred to Kashimpur Jail following a closed-door court hearing on April 10. Her 30-day preventive detention was ordered under the Special Powers Act, based on vague allegations that she was spreading misinformation and threatening diplomatic relations.

Will the Yunus Government Continue Its Steamroller on Press Freedom in Bangladesh?

Advocate Shahanur Islam

Since assuming leadership of Bangladesh's interim government on August 8, 2024, Nobel laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus has faced mounting criticism over his administration’s alarming crackdown on press freedom and the broader democratic space. In what appears to be a systematic effort to silence dissent, the government has overseen the arrest of journalists, the filing of dubious legal cases, the dismissal of media professionals, and the outright targeting of press institutions. These actions raise grave concerns about the state of democracy and fundamental rights in Bangladesh.

A Systematic Crackdown on Press Freedom:  Press freedom is an essential pillar of democracy, acting as a check on government power and ensuring the free flow of information. However, under Prof. Yunus’s interim government, journalists and media outlets are facing an unprecedented assault. At least 18 journalists—including Mozammel Babu, Shamol Datto, Farzana Rupa, and Shakil Ahmed—have been arrested around the country under vague and repressive laws, highlighting a clear attempt to stifle critical voices.

Why Are Sufi Shrines and Spiritual Sites Under Attack in Bangladesh?

Advocate Shahanur Islam
In the heart of Bangladesh lies a spiritual heritage rooted in Sufi traditions that have harmonized communities for centuries. These shrines and spiritual sites, once beacons of tolerance and pluralism, are now under attack, with devastating consequences for the nation’s cultural and social fabric. Since the fall of the former government and the assumption of power by the interim government in August 2024, more than 100 shrines and spiritual sites have been attacked, vandalized, looted, and set on fire.

The rise in violence against Sufi shrines is not an isolated phenomenon but a reflection of broader ideological and political struggles. Bangladesh’s Sufi heritage, which champions inclusivity and coexistence, stands in stark contrast to the rigid ideologies of extremist groups that see such traditions as anathema. With political power in flux and ideological tensions high, these spiritual spaces have become vulnerable targets.

Press & Public Statement: JMBF Strongly Condemns Rising Threats and Attacks on Cultural and Artistic Freedom in Bangladesh

Paris, France; February 18, 2025 — France-based human rights organization, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), strongly condemns the alarming rise in censorship, intimidation, and violent obstruction of cultural events in Bangladesh under the current interim government led by Nobel Laureate for Peace, Prof. Mohammad Yunus. The recent forced cancellations of the Dhaka Metropolitan Theater Festival, Proma's Spring Recitation Festival in Chattogram, the National Spring Festival in Uttara, and the Lalon Memorial Festival in Tangail are not isolated incidents, but rather part of a troubling pattern of suppression targeting artistic expression and fundamental human rights by radical Islamic fundamentalist groups.

JMBF asserts that the Constitution of Bangladesh guarantees freedom of speech, cultural diversity, and the right to peaceful assembly. However, the blatant disregard for these rights, as seen in these incidents, represents a direct attack on the nation's democratic values. The forced shutdowns of these events, often under threats of violence and pressure from extremist groups, reveal a dangerous shift toward intolerance, eroding the artistic and intellectual freedom that has long defined Bangladesh's rich cultural landscape.

STATEMENT: JMBF Gravely Concerned About Rising Assaults on Bangladesh’s Cultural and Spiritual Freedom

Paris, France; November 24, 2024: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) strongly condemns the rising wave of religious extremism and cultural repression in Bangladesh, as highlighted by the cancellation of the ‘Mahati Sadhu Sangh and Lalon Fair’ on November 21, 2024, and the systematic attacks on sacred shrines and spiritual practices across the country. These incidents represent a grave assault on Bangladesh’s pluralistic heritage and an alarming shift toward intolerance under the interim government led by Nobel Peace Laureate Prof. Dr. Muhammad Yunus since August 8, 2024.

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

BANGLADESH: JMBF Deeply Concerned Over the Vandalism of Lalon Akhra in Kushtia!

Paris, France:The France-based human rights organization, Justicemakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), has expressed deep outrage and concern over the incident of the destruction of the Akhra of Baul Nishan Ali in Mirpur, Kushtia, on the night of June 7, 2024. The human rights organization has called for the immediate identification and exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.

Statement:JMBF Strongly Condemns and Protests the Brutal Attack on Poet Radhapad Ray in Kurigram, Bangladesh

Paris, France: October 03, 2023: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) strongly condemns and protests the barbaric attack on renowned poet Radhapad Ray in Nagishwari Upazila of Kurigram on September 30, 2023.

JMBF has also called for the immediate arrest of the accused in the said attack and ensuring the provision of exemplary punishment to the culprits after a fair and impartial investigation, in line with human rights principles

According to a report published in the online edition of the Daily Kalbela on October 2, the attack took place on the poet in his village in the Betharband Union of Nageshwari Upazila in Kurigram district on Saturday, September 30. A young man named Rafiqul Islam (38), a neighbor, suddenly attacked him. As a result of the attack, poet Radhapad Roy was seriously injured and is currently undergoing treatment at Nageshwari Health Complex.