commission formed to propose measures to democratize the Bangladesh constitution after a mass uprising brought down the government last year has recommended drastically curtailing the prime minister’s powers – and replacing “secularism” with “pluralism” as one of the guiding governance principles.
Five months after the repressive Awami League government fell, with an interim administration preaching freedom of the press, some Bangladeshi media are producing critical coverage but others are censoring themselves, saying there is “an atmosphere of fear.”
The Health and Family Welfare Ministry established a special cell on Oct. 27, 2024, to collect reports of missing persons linked to the mass protests. The cell reported it had not received complaints but expected to collect them from police.
The once formidable Awami League has faded from the limelight in Bangladesh, leading some political analysts to question the party’s future amid uncertainty about whether it will be allowed to participate in elections again.
Baul minstrels are alleging that “fundamentalist” Islamic threats against their performances have risen since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh, but the country’s interim administration and police say such incidents are isolated.
From a historic but deadly mass uprising to the landslide electoral victory of an ex-general accused of human rights abuses, BenarNews photographers captured moments from the frontlines of major news events in Bangladesh and Southeast Asia in 2024.
Macabre killings, casual torture, misdirection and snooping were part of “the anatomy of enforced disappearances” linked to deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, an inquiry commission said in its first report.
Baharul Alam, the newly appointed Inspector-General of Police (IGP), said he was ready to sit down with members of the force and discuss their various issues, including the state of their mental health.
Disintegrating relations between Dhaka and New Delhi could grow even worse as India’s government mobilizes political support for ex-Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina, who fled to the neighboring country in August, and her deposed party, analysts warned.
Since the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, religious parties in Bangladesh have active in national politics.VOA’s Sarah Zaman reports from the capital, Dhaka, on their impact.