BANGLADESH ALERT: JMBF Expresses Deep Concern and Strong Condemnation Over Police ‘Special Directive’ on Politically Motivated Arrests in Bangladesh

Paris, France | 26 February 2026: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses deep concern, anger, and strong condemnation over the “special directive” issued on 24 February 2026 by Rajshahi Range Police Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Mohammad Shahjahan. The directive reportedly instructs law enforcement authorities to re-arrest leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Awami League, one of the country’s largest political parties, whose activities were banned by executive order of the previous interim government, after they secure bail from the courts, by showing them arrested in other cases.

BANGLADESH ALERT: JMBF Expresses Deep Concern and Strong Condemnation Over the Disgraceful Attack and Blatant Pressure on the Judiciary by Ruling-Party Lawyers at the Barishal Court

Paris, France; 24 February 2026: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses deep concern and strong condemnation over the recent extreme disorder, pushing and shoving at the bench, forced entry into the courtroom, and intimidating and disrespectful behavior toward the judge allegedly carried out by lawyers aligned with the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) at the Court of the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Barishal.

BANGLADESH ALERT: JMBF Expresses Deep Concern and Strong Condemnation Over the Handover of Two Students to Police in Dinajpur on Allegations of Homosexuality

Paris, France | 14 February 2026: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation over the incident in which two young men were detained, interrogated, confined, and handed over to the police on allegations of “homosexuality” in an area adjacent to Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University (HSTU) in Dinajpur on 19 January 2026. JMBF firmly considers this incident to be a blatant violation of fundamental human rights, particularly the right to privacy, and a heinous example of unlawful mob persecution.

JOINT STATEMENT: Granting Impunity for Criminal Offences Committed during the July Uprising in Bangladesh-A Grave Threat to Justice, Human Rights, and the Rule of Law

France/Netherlands/Egypt/Australia/Kazakhstan/Uganda/Pakistan/Tunisia/Cameroon/DRC I February 10, 2026: We, the undersigned 10 international, national, and local human rights organizations, i) JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), France, ii) Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD), Netherlands, iii) Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Profession (ACIJLP), Egypt, iv) Public Association “Dignity”, Kazakhstan, v) Northern Uganda Transparency & Accountability Forum, Uganda, vi) Tal Sparlay (Ever Spring), Pakistan, vii) Contre la Torture en Tunisie (OCTT), Tunisia, viii) Global Bangladesh Unity Network (GBUN), Australia ix) Movement for the Defense of Humanity and the Abolition of Torture (MDHAT), Cameroon, and x) Actions de Protection Mère et Enfant "APME Asbl, République Democratique du Congo express our deep concern and strong protest against the issuance of the “July Mass Uprising (Protection and Determination of Liability) Ordinance, 2026,”which seeks to grant impunity for criminal offences committed between 1 July and 31 August 2024 under the pretext of “political resistance” in Bangladesh.

JOINT STATEMENT: the new Anti-Racism Strategy lacks political courage – and the potential for change

Paris, 9 February 2026, 2025: We, six BIPOC youth-led organizations, want to express our disappointment in the recent Anti-Racism Strategy published on January 20th, 2026. The new strategy serves as a continuation of the Anti-Racism Action Plan (ARAP), a roadmap for fighting racism in the EU, which was developed following the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. The Action Plan was unprecedented in many ways: it recognized, for the first time, the concept of structural racism, appointed the first-ever Anti-Racism Coordinator, and pushed Member States to develop national action plans against racism.

BANGLADESH ALERT: JMBF expresses deep concern and strong condemnation over the death of Awami League leader Ramesh Chandra Sen due to medical negligence in Dinajpur

Paris, France | 7 February 2026: The human rights organization JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses its deep concern, strong anger and severe condemnation over the tragic death of Bangladesh Awami League Presidium Member, former State Minister for Water Resources and former five-time elected Member of Parliament from the Thakurgaon-1 constituency, Mr. Ramesh Chandra Sen, who passed away this morning, 7 February, due to the failure to ensure timely and adequate medical treatment while in custody at Dinajpur Prison.

JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) Calls for Stronger International Action on LGBTI Rights in Bangladesh

Paris, France | 04 February 2026: Advocate Shahanur Islam, a Bangladeshi human rights defender, 2023 Laureate of the French Marianne Initiative for Human Rights Defenders and Founder and President of JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), has called for stronger international engagement to address the deteriorating situation of LGBTI rights in Bangladesh under the current interim government led by former Nobel Peace Prize laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus.

BANGLADESH ALERT: JMBF Expresses Strong Protest and Deep Concern over the Alleged Death of a Youth due to Torture by Army Personnel in Satkhira

Paris, France | 30 January 2026: JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expresses its deep concern, outrage, and strong protest over allegations regarding the death of a young man named Ismail Hossain (22), allegedly due to brutal torture by members of an army patrol on the evening of Thursday, 29 January, in the Kakbashia Bazar area of Ashashuni Upazila, Satkhira District.

JMBF firmly believes that the alleged death resulting from torture by army personnel constitutes a grave violation of fundamental human rights as proclaimed by the United Nations and stands in clear contravention of international human rights law.

The July Mass Uprising Ordinance 2026 — Legalized Impunity and a Catastrophe for Justice in Bangladesh

By Advocate Shahanur Islam

On 25 January 2026, the Government of Bangladesh issued the July Mass Uprising (Protection and Determination of Liability) Ordinance, 2026, a presidential decree that grants sweeping immunity to all participants in the July 2024 uprising. According to the ordinance, all civil and criminal cases filed against the participants are to be withdrawn, no new cases may be filed, and ongoing proceedings are to be stayed upon application. Even in cases of serious criminal allegations, including murder, the ordinance transfers the investigative responsibility from the judiciary to the National Human Rights Commission, while simultaneously shielding current and former law enforcement personnel from accountability in certain circumstances.