Zero Violations? Don’t Think So
PM’s Adviser and PMO Spokesperson Mahdi Amin says there have been no politically motivated rights abuses over the past 7 months, but TIB records tell a different story.
In a Nutshell
- PM's Adviser Mahdi Amin claimed on September 15, 2026, that no politically motivated human rights violations occurred in Bangladesh over the past seven months, citing zero state-sponsored disappearances, extrajudicial killings, or custodial deaths.
- He made the remarks at TIB's discussion titled "Democracy, Human Rights and Accountable Governance," held at the organisation's Dhanmondi office to mark International Day of Democracy.
- TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman pushed back directly at the same event, saying the data his organisation has gathered doesn't match that claim.
- TIB cited 52 free speech-related harassment incidents and 58 detentions, most under the Anti Terrorism Act, during the same seven-month period.
- TIB also pointed to more than 1,700 incidents of violence against women and girls (including 503 rape cases), 51 custody torture cases, seven deaths at law enforcement hands, and one enforced disappearance involving law enforcement.
Context
Amin has repeatedly made near-identical zero-violation claims since taking office as PM's Adviser and PMO spokesperson, often contrasting the current government's record with the previous Awami League administration's alleged disappearances and custodial deaths.
TIB's September 15 rebuttal is the most direct institutional challenge yet to that narrative, backed by documented case counts rather than anecdote. The incidents from the past two months, including the Habiganj attack on NCP activists and student Sifat Abdullah's arrest, add to the ground weight to TIB's figures.
Why It Matters
In Habiganj on July 28, activists from Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal allegedly attacked NCP leaders Sarjis Alam and Nasiruddin Patwary. A 19-year-old named Alif Chowdhury reportedly lost sight in one eye after allegedly being hit with an iron rod. Instead of punishing the attackers, police filed an attempted murder case against the NCP victims. The next day, police blocked NCP’s own convoy on the highway, not once but twice. This looks like the state protecting one side while punishing the other.
The disappearance of 30-year-old fisherman Miraj Sheikh has raised further concern. His family and rights groups say Coast Guard personnel took him away in Mongla on April 10, but the Coast Guard denies holding him. The High Court later ordered authorities to find him and produce him in court. His whereabouts remain unknown, while the government says an investigation found no evidence of security-force involvement. The case remains unresolved and has become a test of whether the authorities can investigate allegations against their own forces fairly.
Then there’s Sifat Abdullah, a Gazipur student who posted a Facebook video complaining about his electricity bill and criticising the PM. He was jailed, not for that video, but for an old, unrelated case under the Anti-Terrorism Act. NCP says Sifat was one of their activists, active in the 2024 movement and linked to Inqilab Mancha, so his arrest isn’t random either.
Together, these cases raise doubts about how “clean” Bangladesh’s human rights record really is, and that matters to anyone watching the country’s democratic progress, including foreign investors and rights groups.
What We Think
The gap between the government’s claims and TIB’s findings, along with the incidents in Habiganj, Miraj Sheikh and Sifat Abdullah’s case, raises questions about the depth of reform. Has the BNP government actually put an end to politically motivated human rights violations?
We think not.