Sayed Abedin is a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales and a Barrister
Coup That Came in Student Uniforms
If George Orwell were alive today, he’d probably move to Bangladesh — not for inspiration, but because reality has outpaced fiction.
On August 5th, 2024, Dr. Younus, a man of many secrets and even fewer votes, ascended to power—not through the ballot box, but via an unholy alliance with the so-called “Student Shomonnoyok,” a coalition that introduced itself as the reincarnation of the Liberation War spirit. They claimed to stand for democracy, socialism, secularism, and nationalism — the four pillars of Bangladesh’s 1972 Constitution.
From Founding Father to Political Arson
And what did they do next?
They torched the house of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of the nation, in what can only be described as an arsonist’s tribute to independence. Ah, yes, long live nationalism — the new kind that comes with Molotov cocktails and Taliban-style justice.
The Extremist Hall of Fame in Student Garb
It turns out, the Student Shomonnoyok was less of a student coalition and more of a who’s who of extremist thuggery. Think Islami Chhatra Shibir, Hizb ut-Tahrir, ISIS sympathizers, Ansarullah Bangla Team — basically a Netflix docuseries on terror waiting to happen. These “freedom-loving” students then went on a rampage: killing minorities, torching Sufi shrines, lynching Awami League members, and dragging democracy into a shallow grave.
Justice in Shackles, Terror in Robes
Among their most inventive hobbies? Assaulting accused individuals inside courthouses, targeting anyone wearing a black lawyer’s robe — especially if they dared represent Awami League affiliates. Few lawyers who dared to stand in the court were abused in open court. Their crime? Upholding justice.
Courtrooms or Crime Scenes?
It didn’t stop there. The courts, once symbols of justice, are now crime scenes. Lawyers — 84 of them — have been arrested (reported in many newspapers on the 6th April 2025) across the country, accused of murder without evidence, all for the sin of defending the wrong people (i.e., those not endorsed by the Younus Junta™). Human rights groups are calling it “a collapse of rule of law.” The regime calls it “Tuesday.”
Punishing the Prosecutors of Yesterday’s Monsters
Among the detained is Tureen Afroz, former prosecutor at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), known for sending 1971 war criminals to the gallows. Her arrest? A clear message from Younus: If you ever stood for justice, you now stand accused. She is not just being punished — she is being erased, for daring to hold war criminals accountable.
Indemnity for Arsonists, Immunity for Terrorists
It gets better. In a move that would make even the worst banana republic blush, Dr. Younus issued a presidential ordinance granting indemnity to all those involved in the violent overthrow of the Sheikh Hasina government — a beautiful masterpiece of legalized lawlessness. The murderers, arsonists, and thugs of Student Shomonnoyok are now untouchable. You can’t investigate them. You can’t charge them. You can only thank them for the “transition.”
Terrorists Out, Truth-Tellers In (Jail)
Oh, and remember those Islamic State-linked terrorists behind the Holey Artisan massacre? Guess who’s been quietly walking out of prison under Dr. Younus’s watch? That’s right. The same regime that promises law and order has opened the gates to those who once turned restaurants into bloodbaths.
Secularism Dismantled, Justice Dead on Arrival
The irony is Shakespearean. The government that speaks of restoring justice is silencing lawyers. The leadership that chants secularism is waltzing with Wahhabis. The rulers who claimed to honour the Constitution are dismantling it, brick by brick — starting with the part about “secularism,” of course.
Bangladesh: Where Justice is a Crime
In Dr. Younus’s Bangladesh, war criminals are heroes, freedom fighters are fugitives, and lawyers are criminals. Rule of Law? Only if the law wears a beard and carries a machete.
Welcome to the Upside-Down
So here we are, in a nation where the protectors of justice are jailed, and the enemies of independence sit in parliament. Welcome to the upside-down — Bangladeshi edition.
God save Bangladesh. Because no one else will.