One Year of the Yunus Regime: Extrajudicial Killings and Custodial Deaths Persist in Bangladesh

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By Advocate Shahanur Islam

When the interim government led by Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus assumed power in August 2024, following the collapse of the Awami League administration, expectations ran high. The leadership pledged to strengthen democracy, restore the rule of law, and protect human rights. Yet, one year on, evidence suggests that these aspirations remain far from realized.

Between August 2024 and July 2025, Bangladesh recorded sixty incidents of extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths, resulting in seventy victims, according to monitoring by JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF). Of these, thirty-three incidents were linked to law enforcement and security forces, accounting for forty-three deaths, while twenty-seven deaths occurred inside prisons. These figures point to persistent structural weaknesses within the justice and security systems.

Press & Public Statement: JMBF Strongly Condemns RAB’s Extrajudicial Killing of Siam Molla in Barishal

"Read the French and Bengali versions of the statement below."

Paris, France; April 22, 2025: France-based human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses deep concern and outrage over the brutal killing of Siam Molla, a young man from Barisal, and the critical injury of Rakib Molla, a Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinee, during an alleged anti-drug operation carried out by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on the evening of Monday, April 21, in the Ratnapur area of Agoiljhara upazila, Barishal.

STATEMENT: JMBF Strongly Condemns the Brutal Killing of Garment Worker by Law Enforcement Agencies in Dhaka

Paris, France; October 01, 2024: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses deep concern and outrage over the brutal killing of Kausar Hossain Khan, a sewing operator for Mango Tex Limited, who was fatally shot by law enforcement agencies during a clash between garment workers and law enforcers in Savar’s Ashulia on September 30, 2024. This heartbreaking incident, which resulted in a tragic death and left several workers injured, represents a gross violation of human rights and underscores the ongoing injustices faced by workers in Bangladesh's garment industry, where their fundamental rights are often disregarded.

JMBF Publishes Annual State of Torture and Extra-Judicial Killing in Bangladesh 2023

Paris, France, June 26, 2024 : JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) has published the Annual State of Torture and Extra-Judicial Killing in Bangladesh 2023 today, coinciding with the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. This meticulously documented report highlights 148 incidents of torture, extrajudicial killings, and inhumane treatment and degrading behavior in Bangladesh by Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) throughout 2023. Based on continuous monitoring of online news media published from Bangladesh and abroad, this report reveals a disturbing trend of human rights violations by LEAs, impacting a total of 1,842 individuals.

You can read and download the full summary report visit by JMBF Annual State of Torture and Extra-Judicial Killing in Bangladesh 2023

BANGLADESH: JMBF Condemns the Death of Suraiya Khatun in RAB Custody Allegedly Due to Torture and Demands Justice and Accountability

Paris, France; May 26, 2024: France-based human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) is deeply concerned and outraged over the tragic death of Suraiya Khatun, a 45-year-old woman in the custody of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) allegedly due to torture on Friday, May 17, 2024, in Bhairab, Kishoreganj.

JMBF calls for exemplary punishment for those responsible, in a fair trial according to the Torture and Death in Custody (Prevention) Act 2013, by forming a judicial committee to investigate the incident and identify the perpetrators free from any interference by RAB or other law enforcement agencies involved in the incident.

JusticeMakers Bangladesh Calls for Exemplary Punishment for Death of Female Government Employee in RAB Custody

Human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh is deeply concerned and outraged over the death of a female government employee in the custody of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in Naogaon Sadar.

JusticeMakers Bangladesh calls for exemplary punishment for those responsible, in a fair trial according to the Torture and Death in Custody (Prevention) Act 2013, by forming a judicial committee to investigate the incident and identify the perpetrators.

The human rights organization believes that the death of a female government official in RAB custody is a grave violation of the basic human rights declared by the United Nations and provided for in the Bangladesh Constitution.