A Paris-based international human rights organisation on Thursday, 25 June strongly condemned what it described as the widespread 'repression and arbitrary arrest' of more than 1,000 leaders, activists, and supporters of Bangladesh's Awami League party and its affiliated organisations by Bangladeshi authorities. The arrests, according to the group, were carried out during special operations conducted across the country over the past 10 days, reportedly linked to the Awami League's 77th founding anniversary observed on 23 June.

Scale of the Arrests

Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), citing media reports and on-ground sources, documented the arbitrary detention of at least 654 Awami League leaders and activists across Bangladesh over the past seven days. Among those detained, 142 were arrested in Dhaka, 58 in Barishal, 35 in Gazipur, 21 in Narayanganj, 16 in Rangamati, and 12 in Noakhali. The organisation added that the actual number of detentions is reportedly significantly higher, surpassing 1,000 in total.

Legal and Rights Concerns Raised

JMBF expressed grave concern over what it characterised as arrests made without lawful basis, valid arrest warrants, or any other legal justification — a practice it said violates the fundamental rights to liberty and security of the person. The organisation further alleged that criminal charges were being filed after arrest, or that detainees were subsequently shown as arrested in previously registered cases, calling such practices inconsistent with the rule of law, due process, and the right to a fair trial.

The body stressed that an individual's political affiliation can never constitute a legitimate basis for restricting fundamental human rights.

Government Actions Around the Anniversary

According to JMBF, the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government has continued with the executive ban on Awami League activities originally imposed by the previous Muhammad Yunus-led interim government. In what the organisation described as an apparent effort to prevent the party from peacefully observing its founding anniversary, the government reportedly deployed the Bangladesh Army in six districts — including the metropolitan areas of Dhaka, Chattogram, Gazipur, and Narayanganj — while an additional 18,000 police personnel were deployed in the capital.

What JMBF and Its Leadership Said

JMBF Founder and President Shahanur Islam noted that the Awami League is one of Bangladesh's oldest and largest political parties and played a historic leadership role in the country's War of Independence. He said that preventing a political party from peacefully observing its founding anniversary through administrative power 'raises serious concerns regarding democracy, the rule of law, and political pluralism,' and called for such practices to cease immediately.

International Community Called to Act

JMBF urged the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), relevant UN Special Rapporteurs, the European Union, and international human rights organisations to closely monitor what it called ongoing political repression, arbitrary arrests, and restrictions on peaceful assembly and freedom of association in Bangladesh. This call comes amid a broader pattern of political tensions in the country following the change of government, with civil society groups raising repeated alarms over shrinking democratic space.