Rights body raises alarm over arbitrary punishment of academics, students in Bangladesh
New York, Nov 4 (IANS) US-based advocacy group Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed grave concern over the arbitrary punishment of scores of academics and students at public universities in Bangladesh over their alleged affiliation with former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party.
According to HRW, punishing individuals for their peaceful beliefs or without ensuring due process would violate their rights to freedom of expression and association under international human rights law.
“Any acts of revenge against people who peacefully supported the previous government would show that freedoms of speech and assembly are not protected. Universities should be places where people are free to express their views, not places where support is enforced for the government of the day, ” said Meenakshi Ganguly, Deputy Asia Director at HRW.
The rights body said that the sanctions, including dismissals, suspensions and restrictions on teaching, are based on allegations of complicity in violence during the tenure of the Awami League government, which was ousted following violent student-led protests in 2024. Other allegations include involvement in “subversive” activities in support of Hasina’s party and discrimination against students wearing Islamic clothing.
It noted that hundreds of students, allegedly Awami League members and supporters, are also being expelled, denying them their right to education.
Citing recent media reports, the rights body said that at least 404 more academics at 22 universities, who were part of a pro-Awami League Telegram messaging app group, were put under investigation.
“What is happening now is that the university authorities are targeting with false allegations, the group of teachers who are aligned to the Awami League and did not support the 2024 student movement. We are not allowed to go take classes, we cannot do research work; we cannot do anything,” HRW quoted a professor at a public university in Bangladesh as saying, who is not identified for security reasons.
Highlighting the measures against academics, the rights body said that starting in September 2024, the newly appointed authorities at Dhaka University, the country’s most prestigious university, ordered 44 academics to stop their work and restricted the teaching assignments of another 25, without a transparent or credible disciplinary investigation.
Subsequently, six of the academics were formally “temporarily suspended” following the findings of an inquiry committee, and similar investigations have now begun against another 14 teachers.
The actions against teachers and students, which began under the previous Muhammad Yunus-led interim administration, have continued under the ruling BNP government, raising concerns over academic freedom on university campuses across the country.
–IANS
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