Violence in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts Sparks Global Outcry Over Minority Rights

Bangladesh, August 8, 2024. © 2024 Rajib Dhar/AP Photo

Dhaka/Geneva – September 30, 2025 - The recent outbreak of violence against indigenous communities in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) has triggered widespread concern among international human rights organizations and world leaders. Calls are mounting for the interim government in Dhaka to act decisively against perpetrators as the crisis deepens.

On September 23, protests erupted in Khagrachari district after a Marma schoolgirl was brutally gang-raped. Demonstrators demanding justice faced arson, looting, and indiscriminate firing, allegedly carried out by Bangladeshi security forces. At least three indigenous people were killed and dozens injured in the crackdown.

The violence has since gained international attention, including at the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva, where multiple rights advocates highlighted the deteriorating human rights record of Bangladesh.

Global Condemnation at the UNHRC

During the Geneva session, Suhas Chakma, Director of New Delhi-based Rights and Risks Analysis Group, condemned the killings in CHT.

“Three indigenous people were shot dead and dozens injured when the Bangladesh Army indiscriminately fired on protestors seeking justice for an indigenous girl gang-raped on September 23,” Chakma said.

He warned of a wider pattern of human rights violations, citing data from the past year:

• 637 mob lynching deaths
• 878 journalists targeted
• 2,485 violent incidents against religious minorities
• Over 500,000 political opponents charged in criminal cases

Chakma also criticized the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus for sacking the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in November 2024 after it reported rising mob violence, rapes, and political harassment. Despite nearly a year passing, new members have not been appointed.

“This is an unacceptable example of negligence toward state responsibility,” he said, urging the UNHRC to press Dhaka to immediately reconstitute the NHRC.

International Forum Highlights Bangladesh’s Declining Record

Outside the UN headquarters in Geneva, the International Forum for Secular Bangladesh staged a two-day poster exhibition parallel to the UNHRC session. The display of 30 panels spotlighted:

• Radical fundamentalism and communal violence
• Suppression of press freedom
• Mob terrorism and sexual abuse
• Minority persecution and forced displacement

The exhibition drew significant attention from global delegates, reinforcing concerns that Bangladesh’s minorities face increasing insecurity.

European Rights Advocates Demand Independent Investigations

At the UNHRC session, Charlotte Zehrer, UN-EU Human Rights Officer with Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD), expressed deep concern over the plight of ethnic and religious minorities.

She highlighted over 2,400 incidents of violence against minorities in the past year, including:

• Attacks on Hindu and Christian places of worship
• Gender-based violence, particularly rape
• Arbitrary arrests and false blasphemy charges
• Land grabbing and forced displacement
• Forced resignation of minority professionals
• Cases of forced conversion of teenagers and youth

“We call for the immediate release of unjustly detained minority leaders and activists, reform of laws used to target minorities, and independent investigations into all reported cases,” Zehrer said.

She further urged the establishment of a UN fact-finding mission to closely monitor the protection of minorities and indigenous peoples in Bangladesh.

Growing International Pressure

The rising violence in CHT has become a litmus test for the Yunus-led interim government, which came to power promising reforms. However, rights groups say the administration’s failure to act decisively against security forces and radical groups risks further isolating Bangladesh internationally.

With minority communities increasingly under attack, the global spotlight is now firmly fixed on Dhaka. Whether the government can restore confidence by ensuring justice and accountability will shape Bangladesh’s human rights standing in the months ahead.