In early June, the government of Bangladesh cancelled the operating license of one of the country’s leading human rights groups, Odhikar. Odhikar, which has worked closely with the United Nations since its inception in 1994, is most well-known for its recording of thousands of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the country’s elite police unit. The government claims it deregistered Odhikar due to financial irregularities within the organisation and because the organisation “tarnished the image of the state to the world.” However, Bangladesh has instead hurt its own image by restricting the work of respected human rights organizations within its borders.
Key Judgement 1: It is likely that the government of Bangladesh will deregister other human rights groups operating in the country in the next 12 months.
- The Bangladeshi government has been actively monitoring funding received by various human rights groups who have accused RAB and other Bangladeshi security forces of human rights violations.
- The government claims the work of Odhikar was damaging Bangladesh’s reputation by bringing to light egregious abuses by RAB. The government also claimed that all reporting on human rights violations is propaganda, showing the country’s antipathy to the work of rights groups. (source)
- Since January 2022, human rights defenders and journalists have been arbitrarily arrested for their critical reporting of rights violations and various government policies. (source)
Key Judgement 2: It is highly likely that the cancellation of Odhikar’s operating license will limit the necessary work of other human rights groups in the country in the next 12 months.
- Activists in Bangladesh claim that the government’s intention in deregistering Odhikar was to create a “climate of fear” for other NGOs and human rights organizations operating within the country. (source)
- Leading international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have called the move “unfair” and “unethical,” and have condemned the Bangladeshi government. (source)
Key Judgement 3: It is highly likely without the support of Odhikar, the plight of the Rohingya in refugee camps in Bangladesh will worsen in the next 12 months.
- Odhikar was a leading human rights organization that provided continued support for the hundreds of millions of Rohingya refugees who are seeking refuge in Bangladesh.
- Since arriving in Bangladesh in late 2017, Rohingya refugees have faced a myriad of issues in refugee camps, including malnutrition, displacement, lack of education, and poor sanitation. Rohingya have also faced immense violence at the hands of Bangladeshi authorities, including by security forces. The Human Rights Watch believes the authorities are violating the human rights of refugees in attempt to coerce them to leave the country. (source)
- As the attention of international donors, including the United Nations, is shifting away from the Rohingya, local human rights groups are essential for their advocacy to ensure their human rights remain protected.
Intelligence Cut-Off Date: June 13, 2022
