"Bangladesh: Criminalisation of activists and crackdown on protests continue following one-sided elections", 12 April 2024

In December 2023, the CIVICUS Monitor downgraded Bangladesh’s civic space to ‘closed’, its worst rating. The downgrade is the result of a massive government crackdown on opposition politicians and independent critics in the run-up to national elections.

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Over the year, the authorities targeted human rights defenders, protesters and other critics, using intimidation, violence, arrest and torture. Authorities also targeted journalists exposing state abuses and shut down critical media outlets.

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Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was convicted of violating Bangladesh’s labour laws on 1st January 2024.

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Amnesty International said that initiating criminal proceedings against Mohammad Yunus and his colleagues is a blatant abuse of labour laws and the justice system and a form of political retaliation for his work and dissent.

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On 6th January 2024, the day before the election, the Daily Manab Zamin newspaper’s website was blocked in Bangladesh following its critical reporting on the government

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The workers at several garment factories launched the protest on the Dhaka-Tangail highway in the Upazila’s Mouchak area and blocked the route for nearly two hours.

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In response, police chased and baton-charged the protesters as well as used tear gas to disperse them. Several workers were injured in the incident and around 25 workers were taken to hospital afterwards.