The United States has observed a degree of stabilization in Bangladesh’s human rights situation following the change of power on August 5, 2024, while noting that significant concerns remain in multiple areas.

The assessment comes from the US Department of State’s Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2024, released on Tuesday. The report recounted that in 2023, Bangladesh witnessed repeated clashes between students, police, and the ruling Awami League’s student wing, the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL). Weeks of unrest reportedly left several hundred people dead. Former prime minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country on August 5 in the wake of escalating protests.

According to the report, political developments in August brought a degree of stability, but the country continues to grapple with longstanding human rights challenges.

The US cited numerous allegations from the previous government’s tenure, including arbitrary killings, enforced disappearances, torture, arbitrary arrests, harassment of exiled critics, restrictions on press freedom, censorship, curbs on trade union activity, intimidation of labor rights advocates, and the persistence of child labor.

It alleged that these violations were met with widespread impunity, with few attempts to hold perpetrators accountable. The report also highlighted “credible” documentation by rights groups and media outlets of serious abuses committed by BCL members during the July–August period.

Since the political transition, the interim government has detained several individuals accused of rights violations under the former regime. It is reportedly working with the United Nations to prosecute offenders, using both Bangladesh’s judicial system and the International Crimes Tribunal to ensure accountability.