We are disturbed by Ain O Salish Kendra's (ASK) report on the human rights situation in Bangladesh in the first half of 2024. According to one of the leading human rights organisations—which prepares the report every year based on news published in national dailies, alongside its own findings—political killings have tripled, and custodial deaths doubled this year compared to the same period in the previous year. At least 250 women were raped across the country from January to July this year, 631 children became victims of killings, torture, and repression, 35 people were lynched by mobs and 21 temples and 25 Hindu homes were vandalised. If this is how the first six months of the third term of the Awami League government has played out, can citizens be blamed for worrying about what the future holds?

At least 41 people were killed in incidents of political violence in the first six months of 2024. The alarming increase in political violence can be traced back to the general election on January 7, city corporation elections, and upazila polls held in four phases across the country. Although the polls were boycotted by the main opposition parties, including BNP, it is unfortunate that we still witnessed untoward killings and violence, mostly among supporters of Awami League candidates and independent AL candidates or, in the case of local elections, among AL-affiliated candidates. We have not seen any acknowledgement from the government, its law enforcement agencies and the Election Commission about its failure in preventing intra-party violence and an intimidating election-time environment. Instead, in a controversial move, the home ministry deleted all data relating to 1,524 complaints of electoral violence and breach of electoral code of conduct received between December 19, 2023 and January 10 this year.

Meanwhile, at least eight individuals, including two women, died in custody during this period. Again, we have not seen any meaningful action to hold accountable law enforcers involved in allegations of torture and extrajudicial excesses, despite repeated appeals from national and human rights bodies. In fact, there has only been one conviction for custodial death over the past decade, though ASK documented at least 138 deaths that have been allegedly caused by physical torture by law enforcement agencies.

Over the years, we have observed a concerning dismissal or downplaying of human rights abuses by the government, even when presented with compelling statistics. Will the third term of the Awami League government be more of the same, or will it finally realise that no amount of economic growth and infrastructural development can make up for gross human rights violations, and that it is ultimately in its best interests to address them? For the sake of citizens, we hope it is the latter.