HRW Raises Alarm Over Detentions of Jasad Supporters in Dhaka
Bdbusinessdaily.com – Human Rights Watch has condemned the detention of hundreds of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad) activists in Dhaka, describing the police action as a serious challenge to civil and political freedoms in Bangladesh.
Police detained about 290 Jasad supporters during a meeting on 26 September after members of the Bangladesh Jatiyotabadi Jubo Dal claimed the event was a covert gathering linked to the banned Awami League. Human Rights Watch said the scale of the arrests highlighted growing concerns about the use of detention against people viewed as political opponents.
A court later ordered 27 of those detained to remain in custody. The allegations against them included chanting “Joy Bangla,” a slogan widely associated with the Awami League. Human Rights Watch said that expression of political identity, affiliation or opinion should not itself become grounds for criminal punishment.
“Past violations of those rights committed when the Awami League was in power cannot justify the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s current violations of the same rights,” HRW said.
Political tensions after a change in power
Jasad had been part of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance, which governed Bangladesh from 2009 until 2024. The Awami League administration fell after student-led protests in 2024, when hundreds of people were killed during a crackdown involving security forces.
The current government, led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), took office in February with commitments to restore human rights and uphold the rule of law. Human Rights Watch said those commitments are being tested by arrests that it considers arbitrary and politically motivated.
The rights organisation stressed that Bangladesh’s transition should not mean replacing one pattern of repression with another. Political competition, it said, must be conducted within legal safeguards that protect peaceful assembly, speech and association, including for people connected to unpopular or banned political movements.
Other meetings have led to arrests
The Dhaka detentions followed other recent cases involving people alleged to support the Awami League. On 26 September, police in Barisal detained 12 Awami League activists after accusing them of holding a secret meeting and preparing sabotage.
Two days later, 15 people were arrested in Dhaka under the Anti-Terrorism Act on comparable accusations. Those held in the Barisal and Dhaka incidents said their gatherings had been intended to mark the birthday of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Human Rights Watch said police raids on suspected meetings of Awami League supporters have occurred repeatedly since the party was banned. The distinction between a peaceful political gathering and an activity involving a genuine security threat is crucial, particularly when broad criminal allegations can carry severe consequences for those detained.
For ordinary citizens, the issue reaches beyond party politics. Freedom of association allows people to meet, organise and express shared views without fear of detention when they are acting peacefully. Freedom of expression similarly protects political slogans and opinions, including those that authorities or rival groups may strongly oppose.
Calls for consistent protection of rights
Human Rights Watch also noted that the Awami League period was marked by extensive allegations of abuses against opponents, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture and arbitrary detention. Those allegations remain central to demands for accountability in Bangladesh.
However, the organisation argued that prior abuses cannot be used to excuse fresh violations by a new administration. International human rights law protects peaceful expression and association regardless of which party is in government or which political group is exercising those rights.
Bangladesh’s political history offers repeated warnings about the cost of limiting lawful opposition activity. When arrests, broad security accusations and restrictions on assembly become routine tools of political conflict, public trust in institutions can weaken and opportunities for peaceful participation can narrow.
The Jasad arrests have therefore become more than a dispute over one meeting in Dhaka. They raise a wider question about whether Bangladesh’s post-2024 political order will provide equal legal protection to supporters and critics of every major political force. Human Rights Watch has called for the authorities to respect civil and political rights while addressing any credible criminal allegations through lawful, evidence-based procedures.
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