Human Rights Watch (HRW) has condemned the arrest of around 290 supporters of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad) at a meeting in Dhaka on 26 September, describing the incident as the latest example of what it sees as continuing pressure on civic and political rights in Bangladesh.
In a statement issued on Monday, the international rights organisation said police detained the Jasad supporters after members of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s (BNP) youth wing, Jubo Dal, alleged that the gathering was a ‘secret’ meeting of the Awami League. Twenty-seven of those arrested were subsequently sent to remand by a court over allegations that they had chanted ‘Joy Bangla’, a slogan associated with the Awami League.
Jasad has long been part of the 14-party alliance led by the Awami League. The Awami League was in power from 2009 until its government fell in 2024 amid a student-led movement. The political transition that followed has brought increased scrutiny of activities involving supporters and associates of the former ruling party.
HRW also cited two other incidents involving arrests linked to alleged Awami League gatherings. On 26 September, police detained 12 Awami League activists in Barishal over allegations that they had held a ‘secret’ meeting to plan acts of sabotage. Two days later, another 15 people were arrested in Dhaka under the Anti-Terrorism Act on similar allegations.
According to HRW, people detained in both cases said they had gathered to mark the birthday of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. The organisation included the incidents in its broader assessment of how political activity has been treated since the change of government.
The rights group said the BNP-led government came to power promising to restore human rights and the rule of law. Yet, it argued, people regarded as opponents of the government have also been detained, while some safeguards proposed during the interim government period have not been retained.
The statement also referred to serious allegations of human rights violations during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, including extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture and arbitrary detention. HRW stressed that abuses committed under a previous government cannot, in its view, provide justification for restricting freedom of expression or freedom of association under the present administration.
The issue goes beyond the arrests themselves. The events have raised wider questions about the treatment of political gatherings, the right to peaceful assembly and the use of criminal proceedings in politically sensitive cases. For rights groups, ensuring due process is particularly significant when arrests involve people associated with political parties or movements.
Jasad’s position within the former governing alliance also provides important context to the Dhaka incident. As a member of the Awami League-led 14-party alliance, the party was politically aligned with the former government, although the people arrested at the September meeting were identified as Jasad supporters.
HRW’s criticism comes amid a broader debate over how Bangladesh should address alleged abuses from the previous period while protecting civil liberties under the current political order. The organisation has argued that accountability for past violations and respect for present-day political and civic freedoms should not be treated as competing objectives.
The arrest of the Jasad supporters therefore remains significant not only because of the number of people detained, but also because of the questions it raises over political expression and assembly in Bangladesh. HRW’s statement calls for those rights to be protected even as authorities investigate allegations of unlawful activity and pursue accountability for offences where there is sufficient evidence.
