Press and Public Statement: JMBF Strongly Condemns Obstruction of Democratic Participation in Chattogram Bar Election Under the Present Interim Government

Paris, France; April 12, 2025 — France-based human rights organization, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), expresses grave concern and unequivocal condemnation over the blatant obstruction of democratic rights witnessed in the 2025 Chattogram District Bar Association election. On April 10, lawyers aligned with the Awami League and other left-leaning parties were deliberately barred from collecting nomination forms by a group of BNP-Jamaat affiliated lawyers, effectively disenfranchising all opposition candidates. The resulting uncontested election of BNP-Jamaat candidates for all 21 posts stands as a clear violation of constitutional, legal, and human rights standards.

Press & Public Statement: JMBF Strongly Condemns the Arrest and Torture of Female Barrister Turin Afroz Solely for Her Role as a Prosecutor at the International Crimes Tribunal.

Paris, France | April 10, 2025: France-based human rights watchdog, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), expresses its strongest condemnation and protest against the arbitrary arrest and inhumane treatment of Barrister Turin Afroz, former prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) in Bangladesh, who was detained from her residence in Dhaka on the night of April 7, 2025, and subjected to gross physical assault by unidentified perpetrators in August 2024.

JMBF asserts that these actions represent a direct attack on her personal dignity, safety, and most alarmingly, her independence as a legal professional engaged in upholding justice for the victims of the 1971 Liberation War.

Press & Public Statement: JMBF Gravely Concerned Over the Politically Motivated Brutal Killing of Lawyer Sujon Mia in Moulvibazar

Paris, France; April 8, 2025: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), a France-based human rights organization, expresses its deepest outrage and unequivocal condemnation of the brutal and cowardly murder of Advocate Sujon Mia, a practicing lawyer at the Moulvibazar District Judge Court. He was fatally stabbed on the night of April 6, 2025, in what appears to be a politically motivated targeted killing.

This heinous act, committed in public under the watch of the current interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, reflects a grave deterioration of law and order and exposes the abysmal state of protection for legal professionals in Bangladesh today.

Press and Public Statement: JMBF Deeply Concerned over the Arbitrary Detention of 84 Pro-Awami League Lawyers Despite Bail from Higher Court

Paris, France; April 07, 2025: France-based human rights watchdog, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), expresses its strongest concern and condemnation over the arbitrary and unprecedented decision by the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge to reject bail pleas and send 84 pro-Awami League lawyers to jail on April 6, 2025, solely for their political belief—despite their valid anticipatory bail granted by the High Court Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court.

JMBF asserts that this politically motivated and arbitrary action—under the watch of the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus—constitutes a flagrant violation of the Constitution of Bangladesh, as well as fundamental international human rights obligations to which Bangladesh is legally bound.

Press & Public Statement: JMBF Strongly Condemns the Cancellation of Pro-Awami League Lawyers Candidature in the Dinajpur District Advocate Bar Association Election

Paris, France; March 31, 2025: France-based human rights watchdog, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), strongly condemns the politically motivated canceliation of the Pro-Awami League Lawyers Panel in the Dinajpur District Advocate Bar Association Election solely for their political belief on March 29, 2025. This incident represents a blatant violation of democratic principles and the fundamental rights of legal professionals to participate in a free and fair electoral process, as well as a violation of human rights.

JMBF immediately urges the government of Bangladesh to reschedule the election, restore the candidature of Pro-Awami League lawyers, and ensure a free and fair election environment for the Dinajpur District Advocate Bar Association Election 1432 Bangabdha.

Press & Public Statement: JMBF is Deeply Concerned Over the Politically Motivated, Fabricated Cases Against 291 Prominent Lawyers in Dhaka, Chattogram, and Comilla

Paris, France; March 21, 2025: JusticeMakers Bangladesh (JMBF), a France-based human rights organization committed to advancing human rights and upholding the rule of law, strongly condemns the politically motivated and fabricated charges filed against 291 prominent lawyers across multiple incidents in Dhaka, Chattogram, and Comilla. These highly respected legal professionals, known for their legal expertise and advocacy for justice, have been targeted by malicious and politically driven cases aimed at suppressing their voices and discrediting their professionalism.

JMBF asserts that the charges filed against these individuals include severe accusations such as murder, attempted murder, assault, bomb explosions, detonating explosives, vandalizing vehicles, and involvement in violent attacks on peaceful student protesters. These accusations are completely baseless and part of a coordinated attempt to undermine the integrity of the legal profession in Bangladesh. JMBF urges the government of Bangladesh to immediately drop the charge against those lawyers.

Press & Public Statement: JMBF Strongly Condemns the Recent Attacks on Defense Lawyers in Jamalpur Solely for Performing Their Professional Duty

Paris, France – March 12, 2025: France-based human rights organization, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), strongly condemns the brutal attack on defense lawyers in Jamalpur, Bangladesh, on March 10, 2025, solely for performing their professional duty as legal representatives of the accused. This violent incident, which left three lawyers—Advocate Khalilur Rahman, Jamalpur Bar Association Vice President Advocate Abdul Awal, and Advocate Shahjahan Ali—seriously injured, is an alarming assault on the fundamental principles of justice, the independence of the legal profession, and the rule of law. Such actions not only violate the rights of the lawyers involved but also pose a direct threat to the fair trial rights of all individuals, undermining the legal system as a whole.

Press & Public Statement: JMBF Strongly Condemns the Politically Motivated Arbitrary Arrest and Detention of Several Lawyers in Bangladesh: Call for Immediate Unconditional Release

Paris, France; March 07, 2025: JusticeMakers Bangladesh (JMBF), a France-based human rights organization, strongly condemns the recent wave of politically motivated arbitrary arrests and detention of several esteemed lawyers in Bangladesh, whose only "crime" is holding differing political beliefs and engaging in their professional duties. These actions, under the current Interim Government led by former Nobel Peace Prize laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus, represent a stark violation of human rights, the principles of democracy, and the rule of law.

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 the Forceful Withdrawal of Candidature in District Advocate Bar Association Election 2025 in Naogaon and Sirajganj

Paris, France; January 30, 2025: France-based human rights organization, JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) strongly condemns the recent violent and unlawful actions that have taken place in the relation of District Advocate Bar Association Executive Body Elections, held on January 30, 2025, across various regions of Bangladesh, including Naogaon, Sirajganj, and Rajbari.

The incidents on January 25 & 24, 2025, in Naogaon, January 16, 2025, in Sirajganj, and January 29, 2025, in Rajbari, where members of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and political figures affiliated with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Amar Bangla (AB) Party forced the withdrawal of independent and Coordinated Lawyer Council candidates backed by the Bangladesh Awami League for the District Advocate Bar Association Executive Body Election 2025 through physical assault, harassment, coercion, threats of violence, and intimidation, represent a gross violation of human rights. These actions are a direct attack on the very principles of justice, rule of law, and democracy.

JMBF calls on the Bangladesh Government to take immediate and decisive action to hold the perpetrators accountable, cancel these one-sided elections, and reschedule the date for the District Advocate Bar Association Election. Additionally, JMBF demands that the government ensure the safety of all candidates and lawyers involved in these elections and guarantee that these violent acts never again threaten the democratic rights of the people of Bangladesh.

Law Society of England and Wales Raises Concerns Over Threats to Bangladeshi Lawyer Shahanur Islam

The Law Society of England and Wales, a professional body representing approximately 200,000 solicitors, has expressed deep concerns regarding the ongoing threats and harassment faced by Bangladeshi lawyer Shahanur Islam. On 16 November , in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh, the Law Society called for immediate action to safeguard Mr. Islam and uphold the rule of law.

Shahanur Islam serves as the Secretary General of the Bangladesh Institute of Human Rights and Justice Makers Bangladesh. Throughout his career, he has been an ardent defender of the rights of ethnic, religious, and LGBTI minorities, as well as opposition politicians. Regrettably, he has been a target of multiple threats, intimidation, physical assault, and arrest dating back to 2008.