Minority persecution in Bangladesh raised at UN Forum

Ansar Ahmed Ullah
Shottobani

Geneva, Switzerland – Representatives of Bangladeshi minority communities brought urgent allegations of widespread persecution to the United Nations 17th Forum on Minority Issues, held from November 27-29, 2024 at Palais des Nations, Geneva.

Key representatives from the UK, US and Canada presented detailed accounts of attacks against Hindu, Christian, Buddhist, indigenous, and transgender communities since the government change on 5 August, 2024.

Pushpita Gupta from the Secular Bangladesh Movement UK reported over 2,000 incidents of attacks across 52 districts. She highlighted systematic targeting of minority groups, with homes, properties, and places of worship being vandalized. Dr Rayhan Rashid of ICSF emphasised the critical situation, citing recent mosque-coordinated attacks in Chittagong. He noted that Hindu temples, businesses and households were being targeted, with attacks spreading through social media.

The activists accused the interim government, led by Nobel Peace laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, of denying minority attacks, preventing legal representation for minorities, blaming external forces for internal tensions and enabling extremist groups like Jamaat-e-Islam and Hefazat Islam.

They also reported widespread media suppression, with journalists facing threats, dismissals, and false criminal charges. The forum aimed to draw international attention to the escalating minority rights crisis in Bangladesh.