Human Rights Watch (HRW) has alleged that scores of academics and students at more than 20 public universities across Bangladesh have faced arbitrary dismissals, suspensions, teaching restrictions, and expulsions because of their alleged affiliation with former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League party.
In a statement released from London on November 3, the rights organization said the measures appear to target individuals for peaceful political beliefs or without proper due process, violating rights to freedom of expression and association under international human rights law. HRW warned that such actions risk repeating patterns of political control over university campuses seen under previous administrations.
“Bangladesh has a long history of political debate in its universities, and only autocrats should fear such discourse, not a government formed following student protests,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at HRW. “Bangladesh needs to turn the page on the repression of the past, not repeat it whenever the ruling and opposition parties trade places.”
The sanctions focus on allegations of complicity in violence during the 2024 student-led protests that toppled Hasina’s government, “subversive” activities supporting the Awami League, or alleged discrimination against students wearing Islamic clothing. Hundreds of students allegedly linked to the party have also been expelled or had their exam certificates withheld.
HRW’s findings, based on interviews with more than a dozen affected teachers, university correspondence, and analysis of media and video evidence, highlight specific cases. At Dhaka University, authorities ordered 44 academics to stop work and restricted teaching for another 25 starting in September 2024, without transparent investigations; six were later formally suspended. At Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh, 12 academics were dismissed, suspended, or removed, with another 34 demoted or restricted. Similar actions occurred at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University. Media reports from August 2026 indicated at least 404 more academics at 22 universities were under investigation for membership in a pro-Awami League Telegram group.
In March 2025, Dhaka University suspended 126 students and withheld certificates after a fact-finding committee cited evidence of attacks on protesters. Many named individuals deny involvement and have not been given a formal opportunity to respond, according to HRW. Over 20 public universities have been affected in total.
The report comes amid Bangladesh’s post-2024 political transition. After the student protests forced Hasina to flee, an interim government took power, criminalized Awami League activities in May 2025, and later facilitated elections that brought the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to power in February 2026.
Reactions from Awami League Figure
Mohammad Ali Arafat, a former State Minister for Information and Broadcasting under the Hasina government and a prominent Awami League politician and academic, responded on X (formerly Twitter) by framing the HRW findings as evidence of repression under the current BNP-led authorities.
Arafat described the actions as a “clear violation of the rights to freedom of expression and association” and an “abusive attempt to control political opinion and suppress freedom of expression at Bangladesh’s public universities.” He argued that the measures represent a systematic effort to marginalize the “liberal, progressive bloc” led by the Awami League, which he said embodies the ideals of the country’s Liberation War and secularism, in contrast to the “conservative bloc” led by the BNP-Jamaat alliance.
“Nothing of this sort was ever witnessed during the Awami League’s tenure,” Arafat wrote. “The irony is that those who are now responsible for such repressive practices are the very same people who accuse the Awami League of authoritarianism.” He shared a link to related news coverage alongside a screenshot of a Business Standard report on the HRW statement.
HRW has previously documented issues of arbitrary detention, mass arrests of alleged Awami League supporters, and other rights concerns under both the interim government and the current administration, while also criticizing abuses under the former Hasina government, including during the 2024 protests. University authorities have generally framed the disciplinary actions as responses to alleged involvement in violence or political activities inconsistent with institutional neutrality, though HRW maintains that many cases lack transparent and credible processes.
The developments underscore ongoing challenges to academic freedom and due process in Bangladesh’s highly politicized higher education system as the country continues to navigate the aftermath of the 2024 uprising.