The year 2025 marked a grim milestone for Bangladesh, as the country witnessed a sharp deterioration of law, order, and fundamental freedoms. Mob violence surged across districts, leaving hundreds dead and many more injured, while religious and ethnic minorities faced targeted attacks, forced displacement, and harassment. Democratic institutions weakened as governance faltered, leaving citizens without protection or recourse. Freedom of expression came under severe threat, with journalists, writers, artists, and activists subjected to harassment, arbitrary arrests, and intimidation.
In this climate of fear and impunity, social cohesion and civic space were deeply undermined, revealing a nation grappling with a profound crisis of justice, rights, and democratic accountability. The interim government, which came to power in August 2024, spent 2025 governing without the legitimacy of the people, further eroding public trust and deepening the sense of political instability.
The Rise of Islamism and the Erosion of Democratic Freedoms in Bangladesh
In 2025, Bangladesh witnessed a troubling shift in its social and political landscape, marked by the growing dominance of Islamist political parties and militant forces. Their influence extended beyond formal politics into everyday life, shaping public discourse and constraining civic space. These groups maintained active communication and liaison with Islamist organizations across the world, including in Pakistan, strengthening transnational networks of ideology and mobilization. Several well known Islamist figures with documented links to militancy also visited Bangladesh during this period, raising serious concerns about security and regional stability.
At the ground level, Islamist forces repeatedly mobilized mobs across the country, using intimidation as a political tool. Free thinkers, writers, and cultural activists came under sustained pressure, as did voices associated with the spirit of the Liberation War and Bangladesh’s pluralist heritage. The cumulative effect was a climate of fear in which dissent was increasingly portrayed as sacrilege, and cultural expression as provocation. This erosion of democratic space did not occur overnight, but in 2025 it became unmistakably visible, posing a direct challenge to the country’s constitutional values and hard won secular foundations.
A State of Mob: When Lawlessness Replaces the Rule of Law
At least 197 people lost their lives in incidents of mob violence, according to human rights organization Ain o Salish Kendra. According to HRSS, 292 incidents were documented in connection with allegations of theft, robbery, extortion, local dominance disputes, and claims of religious offence. These attacks resulted in the deaths of at least 168 people and left 248 others injured. This staggering number reflects the normalization of collective brutality and the near-total collapse of law enforcement’s preventive and protective role. Across the country, mobs acted as self-appointed judges and executioners, carrying out lynchings, public beatings, and targeted killings with alarming speed and impunity.
Targets included religious shrines and khanqahs, political opponents, journalists, teachers, minority communities, Baul artists, cultural institutions, media outlets, heritage sites, and both government and private institutions. In many of these attacks, banners of the Touhidi Janata and visible angry crowds were used to intimidate and mobilize participants.
Many of these incidents were triggered by rumors or unverified allegations circulating on social media, particularly Facebook, including accusations of theft, blasphemy, moral misconduct, or political affiliation. Victims ranged from religious minorities and marginalized communities to students, workers, and ordinary citizens who often had little or no opportunity to defend themselves. In several cases, victims were beaten to death in public while bystanders filmed the violence instead of intervening, highlighting a disturbing erosion of social restraint and moral accountability.
The state’s response to mob violence throughout 2025 was largely inadequate. Law enforcement frequently arrived late or failed to act decisively. Perpetrators often escaped arrest or faced weak and delayed prosecutions. This culture of impunity emboldened mobs and reinforced the perception that violence carried out in the name of religion, morality, or public outrage would go unpunished. Without effective deterrence, mob violence spread across both rural and urban areas, threatening social cohesion and the foundations of constitutional order.
The loss of 197 lives to mob violence in a single year stands as a damning indictment of state failure. Urgent reforms are needed, including strong political condemnation, prompt and impartial investigations, prosecution of perpetrators regardless of affiliation, and effective measures against online disinformation. Without these, Bangladesh risks further descent into lawlessness where mob rule replaces justice and human life becomes increasingly disposable.
Extra Judicial Killing and Death in Custody
In addition to mob violence, state-related deaths rose sharply in 2025. According to Ain o Salish Kendra, at least 38 extrajudicial killings and 107 custodial deaths were recorded, nearly double the figures from 2024. These deaths occurred in the custody of law enforcement agencies or during so-called operations, crossfire incidents, or encounters, raising serious concerns about systematic abuse of power and erosion of the rule of law.
In 2025, the deaths of several Bangladesh Awami League leaders and activists while in state custody, particularly in jails, raised serious human rights concerns. Reports from families and rights defenders alleged denial of timely medical care, prolonged pre trial detention, and harsh custodial conditions. In many cases, authorities failed to provide transparent explanations or independent investigations, fueling fears of custodial negligence and abuse. These deaths underscored broader problems within Bangladesh’s detention system, including the lack of accountability, weak judicial oversight, and the routine violation of detainees’ right to life and due process.
The dramatic rise in such incidents reflects a broader pattern of impunity within law enforcement and the weakening of judicial oversight. The absence of independent investigations, prosecutions, and convictions has emboldened security forces, leaving families without justice or remedy. This trend underscores the urgent need for institutional reforms, strict adherence to due process, and meaningful accountability to prevent further human rights violations.
Violence Against Religious Minorities
Violence against religious minorities in Bangladesh reached alarming levels in 2025, manifesting in killings, rape and sexual violence, abductions, and widespread vandalism of homes, temples, and businesses. Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and indigenous communities were repeatedly targeted in attacks that appeared systematic and coordinated.
From June to December 2025, at least 71 incidents related to blasphemy allegations against Hindu minorities were reported in Bangladesh, according to a report by the Human Rights Congress for Bangladesh Minorities. The documented cases spanned more than 30 districts, including Chandpur, Chattogram, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat, Sunamganj, Khulna, Comilla, Gazipur, Tangail, and Sylhet. The report highlighted that over 90 percent of those accused were Hindu, including minors as young as 15 to 17 years old.
Members of minority communities were killed in mob assaults, communal riots, and targeted attacks, often following rumors of religious insult or interfaith relationships. Minority women and girls faced sexual violence, including rape and gang rape, often during communal attacks or abductions. Survivors were intimidated, stigmatized, and frequently denied justice by law enforcement.
Abductions of girls and women continued, often linked to forced conversion, coerced marriage, or trafficking. Families seeking help were told by police that these were voluntary relationships, despite evidence of coercion. Entire neighborhoods were vandalized, homes burned, and businesses looted, leaving many families internally displaced without state support.
The lynching of Dipu Chandra Das in Bhaluka illustrates how rumors of blasphemy can rapidly escalate into deadly violence, threatening cultural pluralism and human dignity. A similar pattern emerged at the end of the year in the case of Khokon Chandra Das, a village doctor from the Hindu minority community, who was set on fire. These incidents demonstrate how unverified accusations are weaponized to legitimize collective violence, while the failure of authorities to intervene promptly or ensure accountability further normalizes such brutality.
The state’s response was slow, selective, or ineffective. Preventive measures were largely absent, and post-incident actions focused more on restoring order than ensuring justice. Investigations were delayed, cases weakened, and perpetrators often protected by political or religious influence. This failure of accountability emboldened attackers and normalized violence against minorities, reflecting a profound human rights crisis.
Violence Against Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous communities in the Chittagong Hill Tracts faced escalating violence. According to the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti, 268 incidents affected more than 600 indigenous individuals. These included eight extrajudicial killings, 117 arbitrary arrests, 193 military search operations, and 26 incidents of violence against women and children. Homes and temples were vandalized, at least 30 indigenous children were forcibly converted, and over 300 acres of land were illegally occupied.
Specific cases included the death of a 19-year-old Chakma youth beaten by Border Guard Bangladesh members in Rangamati, and the shooting of three Marma youths during protests over the gang rape of a schoolgirl in Khagrachhari. No meaningful prosecutions followed in either case. Attacks on students protesting the erasure of indigenous identity from textbooks also resulted in serious injuries. These incidents highlight long-term tensions over land rights, identity, and state protection, exacerbated by weak enforcement of peace accords.
The Bawm, an indigenous community in the Chattogram Hill Tracts, have endured severe hardship amid military led operations and security crackdowns. Many men and women have been arrested on suspicion of links to the Kuki Chin National Front and held without trial for extended periods. Dozens remain in detention under criminal accusations that rights groups describe as arbitrary, and several detainees have died in custody amid concerns over denial of medical care and lack of due process.
Rising Threats to Freethinkers and Independent Expression
In 2025, freethinkers, secular writers, and citizens expressing non religious views faced increasing threats and violence. In August, Bijoy Debnath, a Hindu resident of Sitakunda, was attacked by a mob for sending “Happy Birthday” wishes to an atheist blogger and was later arrested on fabricated blasphemy charges after allegations that he burned a paper with Arabic script were filed by the police.
Earlier in the year, at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka, extremist groups vandalized the stall of Sabyasachi Publication over its display of books by exiled secular author Taslima Nasreen. The publisher was threatened, and the books were forcibly removed, highlighting growing pressures on independent and secular voices.
These attacks occurred amid a broader environment of hostility toward secularism and free expression, reinforcing a climate of fear that forced many writers, thinkers, and activists to go into hiding or seek exile. The incidents underscore how legal harassment, mob intimidation, and extremist attacks are being used to suppress dissenting voices and curtail independent thought in Bangladesh.
Attacks on Journalists and Media Workers and Restrictions on Free Expression
In 2025, journalists and media workers in Bangladesh faced sustained attacks, harassment, and legal intimidation, according to the Human Rights Support Society. A total of 318 incidents were documented, affecting at least 539 journalists. Among them, three were killed, 273 were injured, 57 were physically assaulted, 83 received threats, and 17 were arrested. Additionally, 107 journalists were accused in 34 separate cases, demonstrating the growing use of legal measures to intimidate the press and curb investigative reporting.
Restrictions on freedom of expression escalated under both state and legal measures. Under the Cyber Security Act 2023 and the Cyber Protection Ordinance 2025, 27 cases resulted in the arrest of 24 individuals, while 54 others were formally accused. Law enforcement agencies also disrupted 47 public meetings and rallies, leaving 512 people injured and 36 arrested.
Media offices were not spared, with attacks and arson forcing temporary suspensions of publication at major newspapers. Legal tools were repeatedly weaponized to silence journalists, undermining media independence and discouraging critical reporting. Digital threats compounded the risks faced offline, creating a pervasive atmosphere of fear.
These incidents reflect a shrinking civic space in which both state and non-state actors harass journalists with impunity. Freedom of expression, access to information, and democratic participation were severely undermined throughout the year, highlighting the urgent need for protections to safeguard independent media and public discourse.
Erasing Expression: Assaults on Artists, Music, and Secular Traditions
In 2025, secular cultural institutions, artists, and public events in Bangladesh faced escalating attacks and intimidation. Iconic organizations such as Chhayanaut and Udichi were vandalized and set on fire, while concerts, festivals, and performances were frequently disrupted. Historic sites linked to Bangladesh’s secular and Liberation War heritage were destroyed, erasing significant cultural memory. Artists and cultural activists were arrested under charges of “hurting religious sentiments,” creating a climate of fear and promoting widespread self-censorship.
The year also saw targeted attacks on musicians and performers. In December, a mob disrupted a concert by rock musician James at Faridpur Zila School, injuring at least 20 people and forcing the performance to be cancelled. Traditional Baul musicians faced similar violence, including assaults on performers in Thakurgaon and Manikganj during protests over the arrest of Baul artiste Abul Sarkar. Demonstrations in cities such as Khulna and Dhaka demanding his release were met with attacks on participants and the burning of banners.
These incidents illustrate a broader erosion of safety for artists and cultural practitioners, threatening Bangladesh’s musical heritage and the ability of communities to express themselves freely. The repeated attacks on cultural spaces and individuals highlight a climate where fear, censorship, and intimidation undermine artistic expression and secular traditions.
Conclusion
The year 2025 stands out as a period of fear, impunity, and state failure in Bangladesh. Mob violence, extrajudicial killings, attacks on minorities, suppression of freethinkers, harassment of journalists, and assaults on cultural institutions reveal systemic breakdowns in governance, law enforcement, and protection of human rights. Mass media are no longer free, extremist groups have grown more active, and the state has often failed to intervene, tacitly supporting violence through inaction.
Bangladesh risks a deeper slide into lawlessness, where fear replaces justice, and both human life and freedom of expression face growing threats.
Writer: Parvez Hashem, Lawyer and Human Rights Defender
