M. Nazrul Islam

President
All European Awami League,
Advisor
1971: Genocide-Torture Archive & Museum BD
Former President
Austria-BD Press Club,
Writer, Columnist and Researcher

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

⁨Human Chain and Protest Rally by Expatriate Bangladeshis in Front of IAEA and UNIDO Headquarters in Vienna
https://t.co/OmmSCWzSxW

[Bangladesh Awami League Media Cell @ALBDMedia]

⁨Human Chain and Protest Rally by Expatriate Bangladeshis in Front of IAEA and UNIDO Headquarters in Vienna
——-
A human chain and protest rally were held in front of the headquarters of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (@UNIDO) in Vienna on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at 1:00 PM local time. The demonstration was organized to demand the withdrawal of a biased report by the @UN_HRC regarding human rights violations in #Bangladesh. Protesters also condemned the alleged oppression, killings, looting, arson attacks, and false cases against millions of Awami League leaders and activists, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, by the so-called illegal @ChiefAdviserGoB government in Bangladesh.

Speakers at the event included the President of the All-European @albd1971, expatriate #humanrights activist, writer, and journalist M. Nazrul Islam; President of Austria Awami League Khandaker Hafizur Rahman Nasim; General Secretary Mizanur Rahman Shyamal; President of Austria Bangabandhu Parishad Robin Mohammad Ali; Austria Awami League Vice President Ruhi Das Saha; Joint General Secretary Shah Kamal; Organizational Secretary Nayon Hossain; Science and Technology Affairs Secretary Harun Or Rashid Arif; and expatriates Monire Azam Mukul, Nusrat Sultana Misti, Farida Islam, Jarin Zakaria, and Jeffrey Islam, among others.

During the demonstration, M. Nazrul Islam criticized the recent statement made by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights @volker_turk during an interview on BBC’s HARDtalk. He claimed that Türk admitted to warning the @theBDarmy in July-August of the previous year that any crackdown on protests could lead to the suspension of their participation in @UNPeacekeeping missions. Islam questioned the legitimacy of Türk’s statement, accusing him of committing crimes against humanity by influencing internal affairs in Bangladesh.

Islam further alleged that Türk’s involvement was linked to the widespread looting, killings of Awami League leaders and police officers, and other crimes that occurred during that period. He called on the United Nations to take action against Türk, stating that he had lost the right to work for such an organization. Islam accused Türk of directly interfering in Bangladesh’s internal security matters and aiding criminal elements, demanding his immediate accountability.

Following the protest, a memorandum was submitted to UN Secretary-General António Guterres through the IAEA Director General. The memorandum alleged that the biased UN Human Rights report was dictated by the “illegal and murderous Yunus government” and demanded its immediate withdrawal. An IAEA official received the protest letter on behalf of the @UN.

The memorandum also included evidence of alleged crimes committed by the @Yunus_Centre led government, including the persecution and killing of Awami League leaders and activists, minorities, and the looting and occupation of their homes and businesses.

#Bangladesh #BangladeshCrisis #SaveBangladesh #AwamiLeague⁩

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/6iuwQiiDR0

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

How the #Yunus Govt is turning back the clock on #Bangladesh's counter #terrorism successes: Now cops are being sued for terror suspects killed during operations.

The Interim Govt of Dr. Muhammad Yunus seems hell-bent on turning back the clock on Bangladesh's counter terror successes. The latest iteration of the pro-terrorism stance of the IG was demonstrated when the controversial Int'l Crimes Tribunal (ICT-BD) sent to jail three former top police officials in a case filed over the killing of nine people in Kalyanpur in 2016. News🔽

https://t.co/nkzovpF9eN

The incident refers to law enforcement and security officials shooting nine suspected Islamist #militants after a gun-battle in #Dhaka's Kalyanpur area. The shootout started when the cops came under bomb attack while searching the area for a terror hide-out following a tip. News 🔽

https://t.co/oiy8vBecYE

What makes this move from the Yunus Govt particularly perplexing is the relative significance of the Kalyanpur raid. Dubbed “Storm 26”, terrorism analysts hailed the operation as being a "turning point" in Bangladesh's fight against terrorism and violent extremism following the Holey Artisan Bakery terror attack around three weeks before the Kalyanpur raid.

Documents seized from the hideout, and information gathered subsequently, helped law enforcers track the "Neo JMB" (a new version of the Jamaatul Mujaheedin Bangladesh which pledged allegiance to the Islamic State). See 🔽

https://t.co/TkTIkG9pBz

And now the very people behind such a successful counter-terror operation are being charged by the Yunus Govt for their "crime" of fighting Islamist terror in Bangladesh. But then again, given how this terror-friendly govt. is releasing convicted and under-trial Islamist militants and violent extremists from jail, this did not come as a complete surprise. Since Aug 5, 2024, as many as 174 prisoners linked to militant outfits, incl. the JMB, have been released on bail. See 🔽

https://t.co/H4GPFefPLe

....

#BangladeshCrisis #Islamism #Militancy #Terrorism #Extremism @CJBdingo25 @paulocasaca1 @mrubin1971 @Chellaney @MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar @SecRubio @State_SCA @eu_eeas @kajakallas @DavidLammy @GwynLewis12 @antonioguterres @UNODC @Natsecjeff @Reuters @johnstanly @deepscribble @EUinBangladesh @AFP @HCSarahCooke @icsforum @DavidPBMaddox @bpolitics @CharlieCamp6ell @Kai_Schultz @rayhanrashid @RadicalWatchOrg @DNIGabbard @visegrad24 @VivekGRamaswamy @AEI @UtsavSanduja @AEIfdp @MichaelKugelman @Heritage

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/ktJT8XdtKz

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

France-Based Islamist Right-Wing Content Creator @PinakiTweetsBD Violently Threatens British Envoy, Instigates Further Violence Against #AwamiLeague.

In his video titled, “India’s Slave General Waker", published in his YouTube account on 21 March, 2025, ardent supporter of the Yunus Govt, ultra right-wing and Islamist content creator Pinaki Bhattacharya threatened the British High Commissioner to #Bangladesh @HCSarahCooke. In discussing int'l pressure not to ban AL and holding inclusive elections, he said:

“This plan has support among the European Ambassadors including British High Commissioner, Sarah Cooke, appointed by Rishi Sunak. She is hatching a conspiracy on behalf of the foreigners. This is why Saber Hossain Chowdhury could not be kept in jail. This is why some white-skinned people come to Bangladesh in regular intervals to conspire. They try to gain access to various places. They have gained access to the Election Commission. Heard they want to monitor elections. Will stick your monitoring up your a*s”.

(See 5.24 mins to 5.50 mins).

In the same video, he instigated further violence against @albd1971 associated people. He said,

“All Awami League supporters must be fired from the govt. All businesses owned by AL supporters must be taken over. Anyone supporting AL online or offline must be neutralised... Every person holding any position in AL must have their accounts frozen and all their wealth confiscated by the govt. Otherwise, we will siege each area in turn, and conduct people’s block-raids. And hang each and every Awami League, and display their corpses. If we do one such operation, the entire country would be under control”.

(See 10.12 mins to 10.45 mins).

Link to the video🔽
https://t.co/W8Y1dafFeF

Pinaki is an influential political content creator with influence among the ultra-right wing and #Islamist constituencies of society. He has 3.24 million followers on his YouTube account and 1.7 million followers on his Facebook page. Pinaki has abused his influence to regularly spread hatred against secular political parties and individuals, violently threaten anyone and everyone with whom his views don’t match, and unapolegetically instigate #violence.

In February 2025, through his YT videos and FB posts, he directly instigated the mob violence which saw the vandalism and arson of the historic residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and attack on hundreds of properties owned by family members of the former PM #SheikhHasina and AL leaders. See🔽
https://t.co/CIohppH8rV

Additionally, he was also the main organiser of the #Islamist sieges of, and attacks on, the offices of leading mainstream newspapers @ProthomAlo and @dailystarnews for their reporting on Islamist militancy and terrorism issues. See🔽
https://t.co/Jwj17non2f

It is astonishing how Pinaki, who resides in #Paris having received political #asylum there, is abusing the French Govt’s goodwill and hospitality by openly spreading hatred against specific groups and instigating widespread violence in Bangladesh. And now he is even threatening the British HC simply for her advocacy for free, fair, credible, and inclusive elections.

Given his influence among the #Islamists and ultra-right wing groups and ability to organise violent #mobs means that his threats cannot be taken lightly.

Many of the Interim Govt's advisers are said to have strong links with Pinaki. He often brags in his videos about how they consult him for advices on political and other topics. No help in this regard therefore, should be expected from the Yunus Regime.

Hence, the British and French authorities need to specifically address this individual’s criminal activities as per their own laws and legal systems.

#BangladeshCrisis #Mobocracy #PinakiBhattacharya @AP @MarieMasdupuy #Immigration @FRauBangladesh @OFII_France @francediplo_EN @HCSarahCooke @AFP @JusticeMakersBF @FRANCE24 @DavidLammy @FCDOGovUK @ESandersFCDO @UKinBangladesh @kajakallas @EUinBangladesh @eu_eeas

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/E9oOUcFtP0

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/D8NnYzBCTi

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

#Islamist mob attacks and sets afire yet another Sufi #Shrine in #Bangladesh: At least 83 shrines attacked so far under the #Yunus Govt's watch.

A mob set fire to the Ismail Shah shrine in Amtali, Barguna, during its annual Urs celebration early on Monday.

Around 250-300 Islamists under the banner of "Tawhidi Janata", led by Maulana Omar Faruk Jihadi (a leader of the #Islamic Andolon party), demanded the cessation of the shrine's urs rituals and music. When the devotees refused to comply, they launched a sudden attack on the shrine with sticks and torched it.

The mob vandalised the place, set it on fire, and threw away the cooked food prepared for the festival. The shrine's furniture was smashed, metal roofing sheets were torn down, and bricks from the walls were removed. Around 18-20 devotees were injured in the attack too.

This takes the total no. of shrines attacked in the last seven and a half months since the Interim Govt led by Dr. #Yunus took over to at least 83. See🔽

https://t.co/Blr7E4VQbA

Yet, the @ChiefAdviserGoB's Office finds it apt to dispute @DNIGabbard 's comments that Bangladesh's minority groups are under attack and fearing for their safety.

News🔽
https://t.co/YfAQAk5OMn

https://t.co/Owuu63RmtX

.....

#BangladeshCrisis @USCIRF @NazilaGhanea @nadinemaenza #AllEyesOnBangladesh @hrw @amnestysasia @StateDRL @DRL_AS @ESandersFCDO @AP @RFKHumanRights @kajakallas @AFP @eu_eeas @EURightsAgency @SecRubio @State_SCA @MEAIndia @DrSJaishankar @DavidLammy @FCDOGovUK @GERonSouthAsia @fidh_en @forum_asia @volker_turk @dwnews @UNHumanRights @StateIRF @MujMash @JonathanEmont @HannahEP @anbarasanethi @Sabir59 @schipperlena @DNIGabbard @UtsavSanduja @paulocasaca1 @CJBdingo25 @Chellaney

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/uRzZNsId7s

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

Tulsi Gabbard’s Comments on Bangladesh, the Interim Govt’s Response, and the Reality: Part 1

@DNIGabbard’s comments on U.S. concerns regarding the persecution of religious #minorities and the rise of radical #Islamist extremism in #Bangladesh under the #Yunus Govt is grounded in reality. The Interim Govt’s response is not, however.

The U.S. Director of Nat’l Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s recent comments on the U.S. “watching with growing unease” the persecution of religious minorities and the resurgence of Islamist extremism in Bangladesh is grounded on facts and evidence.

According to the “Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council”, from August 5, 2024 to February 28, 2025 a total of 2,276 communal attacks took place on religious minorities across Bangladesh. See:

https://t.co/Yvh689vq1X

The crimes include murder, rape, vandalism, looting, arson, and forcibly taking over land or businesses. During the last seven and a half months of violence, 34 minority community members were killed, 12 minority women were raped, and at least 16 arrested or tortured for allegedly insulting Islam.

The Yunus Govt has done very little to ensure accountability for the violence. Rather, it has continuously emboldened the perpetrators of attacks by justifying the attacks as “political” as opposed to “communal” in nature. As if it is less deplorable to attack minority community members because they support, or are perceived to support, a specific political party. See:

https://t.co/2c7fImFrY8

Moreover, the Yunus Govt has, using state resources, gone after the people who dare to raise their voices against the persecution of minorities under his watch. Many community leaders have been falsely implicated in murder charges to repress their activism, including Advocate Rana Das Gupta, the General-Secretary of the BHBCUC. See:

https://t.co/9pFB2Dqlk1

For his strong advocacy efforts, the Interim Govt arrested the former #ISKCON leader Chinmoy Krishna Das on trumped-up charges of sedition on Nov 26, 2024. He has been in jail ever since with his bail pleas being routinely denied. 112 days in jail so far for demanding rights and dignity for the minorities. See:

https://t.co/PRfAHcWHD4

Thousands of members of religious minority communities, esp. #Hindus, have been dismissed or forced to retire from schools, colleges, and universities. They are being openly discriminated in a “systematic manner” in govt appointments, in particular the civil service and law enforcement. See:

https://t.co/RPJqPZUkPH

Thus, @ChiefAdviserGoB Office’s response that “Gabbard’s comments are not based on any on any evidence or specific allegations” rings hollow and portrays a desperation to cover up the Interim Govt’s discriminatory policies and inability to ensure minimum security for the country’s religious minorities and .

#BangladeshCrisis #Minorities @StateIRF @USCIRF @AFP @State_SCA @usembassydhaka @SecRubio @StateDRL @DRL_AS @StateDept_GCJ @StateDept @IrfSecretariat @nadinemaenza @elonmusk @VivekGRamaswamy @AP @FBIDirectorKash @HinduACT @HinduAmerican @cnni @INSIGHTUK2 @LemkinInstitute @paulocasaca1 @CJBdingo25 @Chellaney @UtsavSanduja @HFAFPAC @MujMash @NazilaGhanea @Natsecjeff @pinakchakrvarty

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/DAdjvIGXWu

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

Tulsi Gabbard’s Comments on Bangladesh, the Interim Govt’s Response, and the Reality: Part 2

@DNIGabbard’s comments on the rise of#Islamist extremism in #Bangladesh under the #Yunus Govt is grounded in reality. The Interim Govt’s response is not, however.

This is how Islamist radicals and terrorists have flourished under the Yunus-led Interim Govt:

First, the student movement which ousted the Awami League Government involved protesters attacking prisons across Bangladesh and freeing prisoners. This led to at least 98 convicted and under-trial militants escaping from prisons. See:

https://t.co/N4K0wcdcrO

Second, from Aug 5 to Dec 5, 2024, as many as 174 prisoners linked to terrorist groups, including the #ISIS-linked Jamaatul Mujaheedin Bangladesh (“JMB”) were released on bail, incl. Mufti Jashimuddin Rahmani, chief of the Ansarullah Bangla Team (an #AlQaeda-inspired terror group) and Maulana Mohibullah of Jama’atul Ansar Fil Hindal Sharqiya.

See:

https://t.co/H4GPFefPLe

https://t.co/jbwWphy8xc

https://t.co/FoZGk88qLu

Third, one of the first actions of the Yunus Govt was to reverse the ban on #JamaatEIslami. Since then, under full patronage of the regime, Jamaat has become one of the most visible political forces in Bangladesh with its Ameer Shafiqur Rahman emerging as a key confidante of Yunus. The party now enjoys huge influence within the administration and managed to install Jamaat supporters in key govt and state positions, including the judiciary. See:

https://t.co/f9bvN35JSB

https://t.co/kNbayvwnTU

Fourth, Yunus made one of the top leaders of the country’s largest Islamist orgs, #HefazateIslam, one of the advisers (minister-level) of his advisory council (cabinet). AFM Khalid Hossain, the former Vice-President of HeI, was appointed as the Religious Affairs Adviser of the Interim Govt. See:

https://t.co/OfWykMZypq

https://t.co/6L2WALXuE8

Fifth, allowing Islamist extremists to repeatedly attack Sufi Shrines. Since Aug 2024, at least 82 shrines have come under attack across Bangladesh from Islamist mobs, often calling themselves “Touhidi Janata”. See:

https://t.co/kZcGJPCOt3

Sixth, allowing Islamist extremists and their fundamentalist allies to morally police society on their backward philosophies. Till date, these Islamists have attacked women in public for not covering up according to Islamic norms, attacked book fairs, stopped theatre festivals, spiritual festivals, music concerts, spring festivals, women’s sports, obstructed female actresses from public engagements, among others. See:

https://t.co/aNTrWY0bB9

https://t.co/2eUgUcl4GP

https://t.co/PbpQWlX0JR

https://t.co/4ny4shQB09

https://t.co/82zCEbOiB9

Seventh, allowing banned Caliphate-advocating groups like HIzbut Tahrir to become mainstream. Since the Interim Govt took over, groups like the Hizbut Tahrir, have come out from the shadows and openly conducting their activities, including recruitment drives and taking out marches across Dhaka. See:

https://t.co/3BOejTqpSr

The main reason Islamists have gained such strength under Yunus is because of the Interim Govt’s reliance on, and use of, these groups for their own political purposes. They were an integral part of the movement which led to the ouster of the previous gov. See:

https://t.co/QbhD3NZHaO

https://t.co/xqZsK2yJRj

Thus, @ChiefAdviserGoB Office’s response that “Gabbard’s comments are not based on any on any evidence or specific allegations” rings hollow and portrays a desperation to cover up the Interim Govt’s appeasement of, and support for, Islamist parties, fundamentalist groups, and convicted Islamic terrorists.

#BangladeshCrisis #Minorities @StateIRF @USCIRF @AFP @State_SCA @usembassydhaka @SecRubio @StateDRL @DRL_AS @StateDept_GCJ @StateDept @IrfSecretariat @nadinemaenza @elonmusk @VivekGRamaswamy @AP @FBIDirectorKash @HinduACT @HinduAmerican @cnni @INSIGHTUK2 @LemkinInstitute @paulocasaca1 @CJBdingo25 @Chellaney @UtsavSanduja @HFAFPAC

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/86Uc8inT6i

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

Further allegations of extortion involving SAD/NCP-linked people emerge: BDSC joint convener suspended for extorting internet businessman.

Former SAD coordinator and the joint convenor of the newly formed SAD-offshoot #Bangladesh Democratic Students Council (BDSC), Golam Kibria Apu, was suspended after allegations came to light of him demanding Tk 50K from an internet businessman.

News🔽
https://t.co/V5Y2UAJRDp

The BDSC, a student-led org, was formed recently drawing on people from the main Students Against Discrimination (#SAD) platform, with former SAD coordinators taking on all major positions in the org. See 🔽

https://t.co/7iFMOUD5bh

Multiple incidents of #extortion, looting, abduction for ransom, and robbery involving SAD/NCP-linked people have surfaced in recent times revealing a pattern of crimes being committed by the groups with close ties with the Interim Govt of Dr. #Yunus. See🔽

https://t.co/RtviDLqPeF

....

#BangladeshCrisis #Politics #SAD #BangladeshElection2025 #NCP #NahidIslam #Yunus #BDSC

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/U2gxKf9EBe

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

Mob ransacks and loots residence of ex-wife of #AwamiLeague MP in front of news cameras as police and army do nothing as usual.

Last night, a mob of 20-25 men attacked the residence of former AL MP Tanveer Imam's ex-wife in #Gulshan, #Dhaka, saying they had "intelligence" about illegal wealth at around 11 pm.

The mob, led by a student rep named Rajib, broke down the main gate of the building and then the door of a flat, where the former MP's ex-wife did not even live for years. They ransacked and looted everything inside for half an hour. There was no law enforcement present during this time.

Once the armed forces and police did arrive, they took no action against the offenders, let them leave (as expected), and did not talk to media.

This absolute lawlessness is a direct result of the patronage of "student-people" mobs by the Interim Govt of Dr. Yunus.

No rule of law.
No right to privacy.
No due process.
Only mob rules.

News🔽
https://t.co/GQ3vC9txDK

Video: @JamunaTV

#BangladeshCrisis #Mobocracy

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/Ps4CuzuGXk

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

In an interview with @bbcbangla, Dr. #Yunus claimed that "crime rates in #Bangladesh haven't increased in recent times". News🔽

https://t.co/nAXeuHI7OL

Astonishing how a Nobel Peace Laureate can lie with a straight face like that. As data clearly shows, crimes rates have indeed spiked. For instance:

1. In February, a total of 295 cases of violence against #women and #children were recorded, marking an increase of 24 cases compared to January. News🔽

https://t.co/NzIDddOxqt

2. Crimes like murder, abduction, robbery, burglary, and theft have all spiked in January this year compared to the corresponding month over the last five years. News🔽

https://t.co/c49hUwcHdb

Dr. Yunus was speaking about law and order situation of Bangladesh after more than six months of the Interim Govt in office. As regards crimes, the past six months saw exceptional increase in hate and brutal crimes too. For instance,

1. Attacks on religious minorities: This continued as the perpetrators enjoyed impunity, including 2,184 communal attacks between August 5 and December 31, 2024 against Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, and Ahmadiyyas. News 🔽

https://t.co/w7TGalXwjm

2. Sharp rise in mob-lynchings: 121 people were killed in mob beatings in Bangladesh between August 2024 and January 2025. This can be compared to 51 in 2023, 36 in 2022, and 28 in 2021. News🔽

https://t.co/wkZh2T5iBa

3. Attacks targeting Sufi Shrines: At least 81 shrines of sufi and mystique figures have been attacked, looted, vandalised, and/or burnt to the ground since the Interim Govt has taken over. News🔽

https://t.co/MgDrXPjGuf

4. Violence targeting political opposition: Since 4 Aug, 2024, at least 127 people associated with the Awami League have been killed in violent incidents across Bangladesh. See 🔽

https://t.co/bf3cjX3VIE

5. Violence against the press: 38 #journalists were victims of abuse, assault, injury, threats, or harassment during February. In January, 13 incidents of violence against journalists were reported. This increased to 21 in February. News🔽

https://t.co/NzIDddOxqt

Among others.

The first step to solving a problem is to admit that there is a problem. The Interim Govt of Dr. Yunus has, through providing immunity for cop killings and attacks on police stations, damaged the morale of the law enforcers irreparably.

And whatever what capacity the law enforcment agencies have at present are being misused to go after opposition activists and supporters, for example, under the so-called Operation Devil Hunt.

Unless there is immediate course correction, things will only get worse from here onward.

#BangladeshCrisis #FactCheck

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/rFoAAc0BAV

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

The Interim Govt, presumably after the criticisms re: mass arbitrary arrests of #AwamiLeague activists and supporters, has decided to drop the name "Operation Devil Hunt". News🔽

https://t.co/FwcPCI14ZV

This is why no data regarding the arrests of the last two days have been made public. Till 1 Mar, 2025, at least 12,500 Awami League associated people were arrested under the operation launched on 8 Feb, 2025. See🔽

https://t.co/eGILwTTDKC

According to a Home Ministry official: "...ongoing operations will proceed as planned, and law enforcement agencies will conduct further operations as needed to maintain order or address other security concerns. However, a decision has been made to rename the initiative".

Thus, it is clear that the arbitrary arrests of activists and supporters will continue, but with even less transparency than before. This will make it very difficult, if not impossible, for the #media and #humanrights orgs to document and report on these arrests.

...

#BangladeshCrisis @amnesty #AllEyesOnBangladesh @hrw @BBCWorld @AgnesCallard @TiranaHassan @HRF @amnestysasia @StateDRL @DRL_AS @ESandersFCDO @AP @FCDOHumanRights @guardian @RFKHumanRights @kajakallas @AFP @eu_eeas @EURightsAgency @HumanRightsCtte @SecRubio @State_SCA @MEAIndia @WSJ @DrSJaishankar @DavidLammy @FCDOGovUK @GERonSouthAsia @fidh_en @forum_asia @omctorg @FreefromTorture @Ginitastar @volker_turk @cnni @dwnews @UNHumanRights @OHCHRAsia @IHRF_English @UN_HRC @AJIunit @TheDavidBergman @MujMash @JonathanEmont @HannahEP @anbarasanethi @Sabir59 @schipperlena @bbcbangla

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/Wv7kU62ue2

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

Why wouldn't #Islamists get emboldened to impose their fundamentalist principles on others when the Interim Govt makes similar demands?

Here's what the #Yunus Govt's Home Adviser, Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, said today:

"In honour of the Muslims fasting during Ramadan, openly smoking is not allowed during daytime. This applies to both men and women in public places. This is a crime. Everyone must comply".

News🔽

https://t.co/MRiDtH5ZZd

The Home Adviser, who is credited with ushering in a golden age for criminals in #Bangladesh with his incompetence, is now enforcing #Islamic morals. And doing so with lies. Can the Home Adviser specify under what law smoking is banned during daytime in Ramadan? He can't. Because that is not a crime.

Bangladeshi law bars smoking in "enclosed" public spaces such as public transport, offices, hotels, restaurants, etc. And not, for instance, open air tea-stalls.

Having failed to unequivocally condemn the incident from yesterday when two women were physically harassed for smoking in a tea-stall in #Dhaka, the Home Adviser is now doubling down on the issue using religion as a shield. See🔽

https://t.co/2Yv4xwULTx

In this regard, the Home Adviser's role is not much different from the #JamaatEIslami, which demanded that hotels and restaurants should be closed during daytime in #Ramadan, despite the obvious needs of non-Muslims, sick and infirm, aged and children, and others who may simply decide not to fast (for whatever reason). See🔽

https://t.co/66eVrFVtGZ

#BangladeshCrisis

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/ATZhSVBVf7

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

This is how bad the situation has become as regards moral policing of #women in "new" #Bangladesh:

Two women were taken into police custody after a fundamentalist #mob besieged them for smoking in public.

The two women were smoking at a tea stall in #Lalmatia, #Dhaka when a mob confronted them, and demanded that they, as women, stop smoking in public. The two women refused to bow down to the fundamentalists' demand, and the situation escalated to the point of physical #harassment, prompting police intervention.

News🔽
https://t.co/56RWUwVESa

This would have been unthinkable in #Dhaka even 7 months ago. So what changed? Why are women coming under increased #gender based #violence and harassment after #Bangladesh's "second independence"?

#BangladeshCrisis #Mobocracy #Islamism #Women #Bangladesh @unwomenasia @unwomenchief @GwynLewis12 @HCSarahCooke

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/YObRW5V4MF

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

Can the Yunus-led Interim Govt be relied on to organise free, fair, and inclusive nat'l #elections in #Bangladesh?

No, for multiple reasons, including:

First, the inextricable links which exist between the Interim Govt and the newly formed Nat'l Citizens' Party (NCP). There are currently two student representatives in the govt as advisers (ministers), Mahfuj Alam and Asif Mahmud. The Chief Adviser Dr. Yunus himself admitted that, "We (the interim govt) came at the invitation of the students. They have appointed us".

To expect that the Interim Govt would not be biased towards the very people who appointed them is naive optimism at best. The recent incident regarding govt arranged buses for attendees of the NCP launch in Dhaka is just one example of how such ties between a political party and the Interim Govt can give rise to favouritism or nepotism. See🔽

https://t.co/MG4if2ss8J

Second, a major reshuffle and reorganising of the police and civil administration would be essential before the elections to ensure a "level playing field". In the last seven months, taking advantage of the Interim Govt's incompetence and inefficiency, parties like the #BNP and #JamaatEIslami have installed people of their choices in top places of the bureaucracy, law enforcement, the judiciary, among other institutions. This would need to be rectified before, or once, the election schedule is announced, which the Interim Govt is not principled or strong enough to implement.

Third, the Interim Govt cannot be relied upon to ensure "inclusivity" of the elections. The NCP has a strong opinion about keeping the #AwamiLeague out of politics and elections. Their top leaders, including those that remain within the Interim Govt like Asif and Mahfuj, have repeatedly made that desire quite clear. See 🔽

https://t.co/Acjd6CFXOz

https://t.co/lXiB8lQyvz

Fourth, it is highly doubtful whether the NCP would, using their influence in the Interim Govt, allow nat'l elections to take place within the timeframe that has been indicated by Election Commission, Yunus, and the Army Chief, i.e. Dec 2025. They have made demands like holding elections for a constituent assembly and local govt elections taking place before the nat'l elections, both of which are at odds with organising parliamentary elections within the above timeframe. See 🔽

https://t.co/ZRtwulZdAn

https://t.co/TrC5tKyHyd

Thus, for a free, fair, and inclusive nat'l election to take place within a reasonable timeframe, there seems to be no alternative to a neutral and non-party caretaker or election-time administration.

#BangladeshCrisis #Politics #NCP #AwamiLeague #JamaatEIslami #BNP #BangladeshElection2025

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/12qGJKaLGi

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

#Bangladesh is now operating on the basis of jungle laws, "Kill or be killed"

Two suspected robbers were killed and five were injured in Shariatpur last night in a mass public beating; nine civilians were also wounded when the suspects opened fire after being chased by the locals.

News🔽
https://t.co/E9cetPtUCj

What does this, and countless other similar incidents in recent times, indicate?

First, even after almost 7 months at the helm, the Interim Govt still has not been able to make the law enforcement agencies effective and bring law and order situation under control. This is despite the heavy presence of armed forces with magistracy powers alongside traditional law enforcement. For instance, at the same time the violent incident in #Shariatpur was taking place, in #Pabna's Santhia, a highway was blocked by robbers using tree-logs and at least 20 public buses were robbed. See🔽

https://t.co/19GxeMWrnQ.

Second, ordinary people, clearly frustrated at the lack of any govt control over law and order, are now taking the law into their own hands. However, such tendencies is definitely causing irreparable damage to the social facric;

Third, finite law enforcement resources (severely depleted following attacks on police stations and vehicles in August 2024) is being misused for political reasons. Law enforcment (incl. the armed forces) remain busy hunting down and rounding up political rivals as opposed to discharge their actual duties, i.e. prevent and fight crimes (more than 11,300 #AwamiLeague supporters and activists arrested between 8 and 28 February under Operation Devil Hunt).

#BangladeshCrisis #LawAndOrder #Mobocracy #MuhammadYunus

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/nwY774j3ll

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

#Islamist mobs attack yet another shrine in #Bangladesh: Pir Rahim Shah Mazaar Sharif in Dinajpur's Ghoraghat was vandalised and set on fire last night by Islamists under the banner of 'Siratul Mustakim Council'. This takes the total no. of shrines attacked since Aug 2024 to at least 81.

The mob's behaviour has been so aggressive that for four straight hours (and counting), police have been unable to approach the crime scene. The attack took place right after a procession of #Islamists armed with sticks protested the shrine's annual urs festival.

News🔽
https://t.co/DAMbEYJ9k4

After #Hindu temples and homes, Sufi shrines have been the most affected by the violence targeting religious minorities in Bangladesh in the last almost seven months. At least 81 such shrines have been attacked since August 2024, involving desecration, vandalism, arson, and/or looting. See🔽

https://t.co/fBd1r68vmh

.....

#BangladeshCrisis @StateDRL @StateIRF @nadinemaenza @NazilaGhanea @USCIRF @IrfSecretariat @amnesty @HRF @amnestysasia @ESandersFCDO @FCDOHumanRights @DRL_AS @RFKHumanRights @volker_turk @LemkinInstitute @FOREF_EU @SADF_think_tank @CJBdingo25 @paulocasaca1 @IHRF_English @MinoritiesSouth @UN_HRC @hrcbm @HRF @DavidPBMaddox #FreedomofReligion @HannahEP #ReligiousFreedom @MujMash @JonathanEmont @dwnews @JohnReedwrites @bbcbangla @SecRubio @State_SCA @cnni

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/gosY1Zk25q

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

#JamaatEIslami demands closure of hotels and restaurants during the daytime during #Ramadan: Holds protest marches across #Dhaka to press home their demands.

As should be obvious to anyone who can read, such a demand to close all eateries during daytime excludes the needs of the religious minorities, the sick and the infirm, the aged, day labourers, and even Muslims who cannot, or may not want to, fast for whatever reason.

Like #HefazateIslam, #Jamaat also gained a lot of political influence in #Bangladesh after the Aug 2024 political changeover due to the party's close relations with the Dr. #Yunus-led Interim Govt and the partnership between their student wing Islami Chhatra #Shibir and Students Against Discrimination (#SAD) Movement.

However, till now, Jamaat was mainly using that influence to exact regulatory capture, pushing their recommended appointees in the police, bureaucracy, judiciary etc. While groups like Hefazat were mainly the ones imposing radical #Islamist views on others.

Now Jamaat has joined Hefazat in trying to impose fundamentalist religious principles on others. But then again, those who remember Jamaat E Islami's last term in govt (2001-06), they'd be familiar with such religious restrictions imposed by the party.

#BangladeshCrisis @Chellaney @paulocasaca1 @rayhanrashid @CJBdingo25 @RadicalWatchOrg

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/nvWXkaMAEL

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

Jubo League activist's murdered corpse found in Sirajganj, taking the death toll of Awami League associated people killed since August 4, 2024 to at least 127.

The murdered body of 32 y/o Kamal Hossain Chanchal was found under the Taltala Bridge in Chandaikona Union of Raiganj Upazila on the morning of Feb 24. Chanchal was an activist of #JuboLeague (@albd1971's youth wing).

The victim was last seen by his family leaving his home for work in #Dhaka's Rayerbazar area on the evening of Feb 23. After 10 pm, he went missing with his phone turned off. Next morning, the police recovered his dead body more than 150 km away from his last known location.

News🔽
https://t.co/Mc4aV860xQ

With Chanchal's death, the death toll of #AwamiLeague-associated people killed in violent incidents since Aug 4, 2024 has reached at least 127.

.....

#BangladeshCrisis @amnesty #AllEyesOnBangladesh @hrw @BBCWorld @AgnesCallard @TiranaHassan @HRF @amnestysasia @StateDRL @DRL_AS @ESandersFCDO @AP @ibahri @FCDOHumanRights @guardian @RFKHumanRights @kajakallas @AFP @eu_eeas @EURightsAgency @Chellaney @HumanRightsCtte @SecRubio @State_SCA @MEAIndia @WSJ @DrSJaishankar @DavidLammy @FCDOGovUK @GERonSouthAsia @fidh_en @forum_asia @omctorg @FreefromTorture @Ginitastar @volker_turk @cnni @dwnews @UNHumanRights @OHCHRAsia @IHRF_English @UN_HRC @TheDavidBergman @MujMash @JonathanEmont @HannahEP @anbarasanethi @schipperlena

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/YANpGjvxJb

[Bangladesh Watch @bdwatch2024]

.@dailystarnews editorial on rising sexual crimes against #women in "new" #Bangladesh under the Dr. #Yunus-led Interim Govt:

"We are alarmed by the frequent incidents of #rape and #sexual #violence reported across the country...The list of such horrific incidents continues to grow. Unfortunately, the government's response to such crimes remains largely inadequate. In this regard, the silence of the women and children's affairs adviser—who is a women's rights activist herself—comes as particularly troubling. Such inaction only emboldens the criminals and heightens fear over women's safety...

...It should be noted that the interim government has failed to effectively restore law and order even after the passing of more than six months. Besides crimes of sexual nature, mugging, robbery, and violent clashes between different groups have also increased nationwide. This naturally raises the question: what are law enforcement agencies doing to curb these crimes? And why are crimes against women and children not getting the attention they deserve?"

Read more🔽
https://t.co/O6Ee6c1Z1Z

The rise in sexual violence against women must also be seen in the broader context of increased moral policing of #women in public since August 2024. There have been numerous instances of women taking to social media to share their horror stories of being verbally abused, harassed, and even assaulted in public places due to "not covering up properly".

Top actresses have had their public professional engagements forcibly cancelled due to objections from #Islamist groups linked to the Interim Govt like the #HefazateIslam. Multiple #girls' #football matches have been cancelled, and the organisers attacked.

Bangladesh achieved remarkable strides in women empowerment in the last two decades. But all the achievements now seem to be on the way to being "undone".

.....

#BangladeshCrisis #UNWomen @unwomenchief @unwomenasia #AllEyesOnBangladeshiWomen @amnesty @amnestysasia @hrw @RFKHumanRights @StateDRL @FCDOHumanRights @DRL_AS @ESandersFCDO @forum_asia @EURightsAgency @fidh_en @UN_Women @UNHumanRights @volker_turk @HumanRightsCtte @TiranaHassan @AgnesCallamard @meeganguly @HRF @HannahEP @SamiraHussain15 @schipperlena

[M. Nazrul Islam @MNazrulIslam28]

https://t.co/s6TpCkQXF2

[Freedom/Rights/Rule of Law @FreedomRightsRL]

Clashes broke out between the law enforcement agents and the protesters. Yunus's Air Force troops fired metal bullets at the demonstrators, killing one and wounding numerous more.
@hrcbm @UNHumanRights @MaryLawlorhrds @volker_turk @amnesty @hrw @StateDRL @OHCHRAsia @fidh_en @IHRF_English @UN_SPExperts @AlexGrayForOK @FCDOHumanRights @RFKHumanRights @EURightsAgency @IHumanRightsC @IHRCEU @EU_Commission