Bangladesh

The CIVICUS Monitor upgrades Bangladesh's civic space to "Repressed" from “Closed” after reforms by interim government

December 04, 2024

The CIVICUS Monitor announced in a new report Wednesday that it has upgraded Bangladesh’s civic space to "Repressed" from “Closed” in its annual ratings due to steps taken by the interim government to address civic space concerns following mass protests in Bangladesh that led to the fall of the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024.

Bangladesh’s upgraded rating, detailed in the People Power Under Attack 2024 report, reflects the release of protesters as well as human rights defenders from detention. It also reflects the interim government’s signature onto the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, the creation of a commission of inquiry on all cases of enforced disappearances, and the removal of jail terms for the convictions of two prominent human rights defenders from Odhikar.

“Professor Muhammad Yunus and his interim government have opened a new chapter in the story of Bangladesh and its people," said Josef Benedict, the Asia Pacific Researcher at the CIVICUS Monitor. "The progress documented by the CIVICUS Monitor lifts up hope that by working with civil society, the interim government can undertake the legal and policy reforms needed to ensure the protection of fundamental freedom for all citizens regardless of their political leanings."

The CIVICUS Monitor, which is a research consortium led by global civil society alliance CIVICUS, tracked civic space conditions in 198 countries throughout the year, which it compiled and analysed in People Power Under Attack 2024, released Wednesday. The Monitor determines each country’s rating based on data on civic space incidents collected by civil society groups around the world. Incidents may include protests, censorship, arrests of human rights defenders, harassment, and more. Each country then receives a rating between 0-100 based on its incidents, with higher scores indicating more open civic space.

This year, Bangladesh’s score improved by 4 points from 20 to 24, moving it away from the ranks of “closed” countries worldwide.

Despite this progress, more work needs to be done including disbanding security units such as the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) responsible for enforced disappearances and torture, reforming the much-maligned NGO Affairs Bureau to ensure it supports civil society, and amending the Foreign Donations Law which creates a bureaucratic maze for civil society to receive international funding are the first steps to protecting Bangladesh’s civil society.

The interim government must also take steps to protect journalists, including mechanisms to ensure journalists may work freely and without fear of retribution for expressing critical opinions or covering topics that the government may deem sensitive. Press freedom groups have raised concerns of reprisals against journalists whose reporting was considered favourable of the previous regime.

Other much-needed reforms include repealing restrictive laws, like the draconian Cyber Security Act 2023 and other provisions criminalising defamation, and enabling accountability for past crimes, including investigating all instances of extrajudicial killing and excessive force committed by security forces.

"As Bangladesh continues writing a new chapter in its history, it must take steps to repeal restrictive laws, create an enabling environment for civil society and journalists and ensure accountability for past human rights abuses," said Benedict. "Bangladesh cannot move towards its future until it adequately confronts its past."

Notes to the Editor:

The CIVICUS Monitor is a research tool that provides quantitative and qualitative data on the state of civil society and civic freedoms in 198 countries and territories. The data is generated through a collaboration with more than 20 civil society research partners, and input from a number of independent human rights evaluations. The data provides the basis for civic space ratings and countries can be rated as either 'Closed', 'Repressed', 'Obstructed', 'Narrowed' or 'Open'.

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact : media@civicus.org