Dhaka, Jan 2 (NationPress) In 2025, the human rights landscape in Bangladesh's Chattogram Hill Tracts deteriorated significantly as the government failed to enact the 1997 CHT Peace Accord, according to the Annual Human Rights Report 2025 released by the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS), as reported by local media on Friday.

The report indicates that the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus did not make any substantial steps toward fulfilling the accord, with approximately two-thirds of its essential provisions remaining unfulfilled even after 28 years. This negligence has resulted in heightened militarization, communal strife, land seizures, and extensive violations against the indigenous Jumma population, as stated by the Bangladeshi daily 'The Daily Star'.

In 2025, PCJSS documented 268 instances of human rights violations affecting 606 Jumma individuals. The report pinpointed security forces, police, Bangalee settlers, extremist factions, land usurpers, and Rohingya armed groups as the main offenders.

It highlighted eight extrajudicial killings, 193 search operations, and 117 arbitrary detentions in villages, along with 26 incidents of violence against women and children. The PCJSS urged the Yunus-led government to promptly implement the 1997 CHT Peace Accord, halt extrajudicial killings and arbitrary arrests, resolve land disputes, and deliver justice to victims of communal and sexual violence.

Additionally, the report revealed that at least 43 homes and two Buddhist temples were raided and vandalized. Over 300 acres of land faced illegal occupation in 2025. Among the most alarming incidents was the shooting of three Marma youths in Guimara, Khagrachhari in September, who were protesting the rape of a Marma schoolgirl.

In December, a prominent Bangladeshi human rights organization highlighted widespread rights abuses nationwide, such as mob violence, extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody, minority persecution, political violence, and censorship of the press. In its latest report, the Dhaka-based Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) noted a disturbing rise in “mob terrorism” throughout 2025.

The findings indicated that mob violence resulted in 197 fatalities from January to December, an increase from 128 deaths the previous year. Since the onset of Yunus's interim government in 2024, at least 293 individuals have lost their lives due to mob violence.

The report stated, “Individuals have been beaten and murdered without any evidence, investigation, or legal procedure, fueled by suspicion and rumors. Under the guise of Tawheed Janata, mobs have formed unlawfully to destroy art and cultural venues, assault the Baul community, and even desecrate graves. People holding dissenting views, including freedom fighters, have faced harassment,” as quoted by the Bengali daily Prothom Alo.

According to the report, law enforcement agencies often failed to intervene, and efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice were largely ineffective.

Additionally, at least 107 individuals died in various prisons across the country in 2025, including 69 inmates and 38 prisoners. Dhaka Central Jail recorded the highest number of deaths at 38, followed by Gazipur with 7, with the remaining fatalities occurring in other prisons nationwide.

The ASK monitoring unit found that at least 38 people were killed in extrajudicial incidents in 2025, primarily occurring during custody, under torture, or in so-called 'shootouts' or 'gunfights', highlighting a persistent human rights crisis.

Between January and December 2025, Bangladesh experienced at least 401 incidents of political violence, resulting in 102 deaths and 4,744 injuries.

Moreover, the report stated that at least 381 journalists suffered torture and harassment during this timeframe, with 23 journalists targeted by law enforcement and 20 receiving death threats.

Highlighting the violence against minorities across Bangladesh, especially Hindus, ASK documented numerous violent incidents, including attacks, intimidation, looting, arson, and vandalism of idols throughout 2025.

Bangladesh continues to face escalating human rights violations and ongoing assaults on minorities, particularly the Hindu community, under the governance of Muhammad Yunus.