A group of MPs has retracted a contentious report on Bangladesh following accusations of bias in favor of the ousted government of Sheikh Hasina. The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on the Commonwealth released the report last November, criticizing the current regime in Dhaka but facing significant inaccuracies.
Officials have confirmed that the report is no longer being distributed and is “under review” after a Labour MP raised concerns in the House of Commons. A spokesperson stated that the report remains an internal document under review and has been shared with the Foreign Office as part of the group’s broader deliberative process. The APPG will not be taking the matter further or making any follow-ups.
The controversy intensified when Hasina’s niece, Tulip Siddiq, resigned as City minister over her previously undisclosed links to her aunt’s party, sparking accusations of the Awami League’s interference in British politics.
The report, titled “The Ongoing Situation in Bangladesh,” was released to the press three months after Hasina was deposed by a student-led rebellion against her authoritarian rule. The rebellion resulted in an estimated 1,000 deaths due to a brutal but ultimately unsuccessful crackdown by security forces.
The report criticized Hasina’s successor, Nobel peace prize winner Muhammad Yunus, accusing his administration of using the law as a political weapon and empowering hardline Islamists. The APPG’s Conservative chair, Andrew Rosindell, warned that without an immediate change of tack, the goodwill the new government enjoys internationally would be in danger of evaporating.
Experts have criticized the report for citing a relatively low estimate of deaths and claiming that most occurred after Hasina fled the country rather than as a result of violence by her police and armed forces. The report’s findings contradict an earlier one from the UN human rights commissioner, which attributed the majority of deaths and injuries to security forces and the student wing affiliated with the Awami League.
Labour MP Rupa Huq, who recently spent time in Bangladesh, called the report a “hatchet job on the interim government of Bangladesh” and claimed Yunus had personally raised the issue with her. Naomi Hossain, a professor at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, criticized the report for featuring basic errors and failing as a tool for accountability.
A spokesperson for the APPG announced that the group has decided to shift its focus exclusively toward the Commonwealth of Nations as an institution and will no longer produce country-specific reports.
This situation highlights the challenges posed by disinformation, media dominance by a few billionaire owners, and the efforts of powerful entities to suppress stories they don’t want the public to see. It also underscores the importance of transparency and accountability in reporting on international affairs.