Yunus Regime Under Fire: New Data Shows Extrajudicial Killings Persist in Post-Hasina Bangladesh

A year after Sheikh Hasina’s exit, new human rights data suggests Bangladesh’s interim government under Muhammad Yunus is mirroring many of the same abuses that fuelled public anger against the former Awami League regime. Despite Yunus’s early assurances of justice and accountability, fresh reports indicate that extrajudicial killings, custodial torture, and enforced disappearances continue largely unabated.

According to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh recorded 37 extrajudicial killings and custodial deaths between January and November 2025, including 14 deaths in alleged “shootouts” and 11 from torture in custody. Additionally, 95 people have died in custody this year, 64 of them undertrials.

Rights activists describe the trend as an “alarming continuation” of past abuses, stressing that the same perpetrators remain in positions of power and no accountability mechanisms have been enforced.

Bangladesh’s history of secret detention centres—such as the infamous Aynaghar (House of Mirrors) used during Hasina’s tenure—continues to haunt families, with more than 100 individuals still missing. Opposition BNP leaders maintain that they bore the highest burden of disappearances, false cases, and custodial violence under Hasina’s rule.

While the Awami League and BNP continue to trade blame over the origins of security force excesses—particularly the controversial Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)—rights watchdogs such as Odhikar also report ongoing abuses under the Yunus caretaker regime, including 40 alleged extrajudicial killings and 153 lynchings in 2025.

Despite Yunus forming a commission in August 2024 to investigate past abuses, rights groups argue little has changed on the ground. The continuation of deaths, disappearances, and political violence suggests that for many Bangladeshis, the post-Hasina era feels alarmingly similar to the one they rose up against.