Nine human rights organizations have written to Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, urging his new government to prioritize human rights on its agenda. In their letter, published today, the groups acknowledged that while Rahman and his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) face multiple pressing challenges, they have a chance to establish lasting protections for human rights.

Rahman assumed office after a decisive election win in February, conducted under an interim government that had replaced the 15-year administration of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted in 2024 following mass protests. While Hasina’s tenure saw widespread human rights abuses—including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings—the interim government continued to detain political opponents arbitrarily and failed to curb mob violence targeting journalists, religious minorities, and cultural centers, according to Human Rights Watch (HRW).

“Tarique Rahman has been entrusted with a broad mandate to deliver change, supported by many Bangladeshis who risked their lives to remove an autocratic regime,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, HRW’s deputy Asia director. “Achieving success will require meaningful reforms to ensure independent institutions uphold the rule of law and accountability, alongside genuine commitment to freedoms such as religion and expression.”

The letter outlined key priorities, including ending arbitrary detention, holding perpetrators of past abuses accountable, dismantling the abusive Rapid Action Battalion, and safeguarding ethnic and religious minorities. The groups also called on the government to protect the rights of over a million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and to establish a strong, independent National Human Rights Commission, providing detailed policy and legislative recommendations.

During the election campaign, the BNP pledged to protect a wide range of rights, including economic rights, by boosting support for health, education, environmental protections, and social security. The nine organizations behind the letter are Amnesty International, Article 19, CPJ, CIVICUS, FIDH, Fortify Rights, Human Rights Watch, Kennedy Human Rights Center, and Techglobal Institute.