At least 111 people were killed in mob attacks in Bangladesh over the past year, highlighting a growing human rights crisis, experts said on Wednesday.
Scholars, civil society representatives, and rights defenders have called for urgent institutional reform and greater accountability to protect human rights in the post-uprising period.
The warning came during a roundtable titled “Human Rights in Transition: Accountability, Institutions, and Fragility in Post-Uprising Bangladesh”, held at the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro in Dhaka.
The event was organized by Sapran (Shokol Praner Nirapotta), a research-based human rights think tank founded after the 2024 mass uprising to promote evidence-driven advocacy and documentation.
Speakers at the discussion stressed that a vacuum in effective justice and accountability mechanisms has fueled rising mob violence, digital vigilantism, and a loss of public confidence in the country’s justice institutions.
Sapran’s new report: “After the Monsoon Rebellion: Assessing the State of Human Rights in Transitional Bangladesh (Aug 2024 – July 2025),” documented a disturbing rise in human rights violations and crimes across the country. The report recorded 496 attacks on journalists, 195 mob lynchings, 640 cases of violence against children, 34 killed and over 2,000 pushed across borders, 24 attacks on indigenous people, 35 extrajudicial killings, 45 deaths and 300 injuries from labor rights violations, and 2,878 murders in total.
The report and discussion underscored the urgent need for robust institutional reforms, strengthened human rights protections, and accountability mechanisms to prevent further loss of life and restore public trust in Bangladesh’s legal and justice systems.
Digital misinformation and hate speech were identified as another key driver of violence.
Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the chief adviser of Bangladesh, said: “Every day, thousands of fake posts are spread online, while only a handful are fact-checked. Facebook has fueled hatred, including violence against minorities. These platforms must be held accountable.”
Human rights activist Mosfiqur Rahman Johan noted that extrajudicial killings and the death penalty remain major concerns, often carried out without proper legal documentation.
"The state’s role is to protect life, not to end it,” he said.
Ethnic community representative Satej Chakma, sub-editor, IP NEWS BD, highlighted the continued exclusion of minority and women representatives in policy-making.
“For seventeen years, ethnic people have been waiting for constitutional recognition. Even in the new consensus commissions, there are no women, no Indigenous voices. How can we build an inclusive state while leaving people out?” she asked.
Sanjida Islam Tulee, human rights activist and coordinator, Mayer Daak criticized the inaction of the National Human Rights Commission, saying it has failed to respond effectively despite repeated appeals.
"Over 3,500 extrajudicial killings have taken place in recent years. Of the 1,850 people reportedly disappeared, 335 never returned. We need a truth commission to uncover what really happened,” she said.
Addressing the issue of exclusion, Sara Hossain, senior advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh, said: "Many in our society seem unaware of the constitution, the law, or human rights themselves. Voices from marginalized communities remain unheard, yet they are central to any meaningful reform.”