Bangladesh Marks Hasina’s Ouster Amid Hopes and Rising Tensions » Capital News

DHAKA, Bangladesh Aug 10 – Thousands of people gathered in central Dhaka this week to mark the first anniversary of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster, celebrating what many see as the promise of a “New Bangladesh.”

In heavy rain, interim leader Muhammad Yunus stood alongside political party heads and activists to unveil plans for a fresh political chapter. Across the country, crowds waved national flags at concerts, rallies, and special prayer sessions, with some activists hailing the day as the nation’s “second liberation.”

Yet behind the scenes of celebration, the past year has also been marked by unrest. Rights groups report incidents of lynching, mob violence, revenge attacks, and a resurgence of religious extremism, raising fears for the country’s democratic transition.

Former prime minister Hasina, now in exile in India, continues to deny responsibility for a deadly crackdown during her rule and has refused to return to face charges that include crimes against humanity.

Unfinished Revolution
Women’s rights activist Shireen Huq, who led the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, says the uprising has not dismantled deep-rooted inequalities.
“I think we had a regime change, not a revolution. Fundamentally, misogyny remains intact, male dominance remains unchallenged,” she told the BBC.

In April, Huq’s 10-member commission submitted proposals calling for equal inheritance and divorce rights for women, the criminalisation of marital rape, and protections for sex workers. But in May, thousands of Islamist hardliners—led by Hefazat-e-Islam, which has a representative in the interim cabinet—marched against the recommendations, calling them anti-Islamic and demanding the commission’s disbandment.

Following the protests, no detailed public debate on the proposals was held.
“I was disappointed that the interim government did not support us enough when we were subjected to lots of abuses by Hefazat-e-Islam,” Huq said.

Yunus’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Religious and Political Tensions
Minority communities have also come under attack, with hardliners vandalising dozens of Sufi Muslim shrines over the past year.

At the same time, there is still widespread anger over alleged abuses during Hasina’s Awami League-led government, including claims of unlawful killings, enforced disappearances, and suppression of dissent.

“You have a huge constituency of people in Bangladesh who wanted to see not just accountability but vengeance and retribution,” said journalist and long-time Bangladesh watcher David Bergman.

Legal Battle Over Awami League Ban
International legal experts have now taken the dispute to the United Nations. Steven Powles KC and Alex Tinsley from Doughty Street Chambers have filed an urgent appeal to the UN Independent Expert on the Promotion of a Democratic International Order and other Special Rapporteurs, challenging what they call the unjustifiable ban on the Awami League.

The appeal, made on behalf of Hasina, argues that the ban violates fundamental rights, undermines the rule of law, and erodes democracy in Bangladesh.

Dr Muhammad Yunus assumed power on 8 August 2024 and established the Interim Administration, which pledged to hold elections in February 2026. However, in May 2025, the Awami League was barred from contesting elections and its activities restricted pending proceedings against its leaders before the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal.

Since Yunus took over, supporters of the Awami League and minority groups associated with it have reportedly faced widespread attacks, which rights advocates say have gone unpunished under a climate of blanket immunity for perpetrators.

The UN appeal calls on the Independent Expert and other Special Rapporteurs to urge the interim government to lift the ban and restore democratic participation.

As the interim administration speaks of reform, Bangladesh remains caught between the aspirations of a democratic future and the deep divisions—and unresolved grievances—left in the wake of Hasina’s fall.