London, September 14, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Bangladesh’s political leadership must recognise that governing carries responsibilities towards all citizens, including political opponents, while prisoners must receive medical care, allegations must be investigated and courts must base their decisions on evidence, political and security analyst Chris Blackburn has said.
Writing recently for UK-based media website Comment Central, Blackburn warned of a “dystopian future” in which the language of liberation could be used to justify repression, while the language of justice could become a cover for revenge.
He criticised the record of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus, which came to power following the July 2024 protests, alleging that it failed to adequately protect people from arbitrary detention. He argued that some who had previously relied on bail and demanded due process later presided over a system in which similar protections were denied to political opponents.
Citing a Human Rights Watch report published in August 2026, Blackburn said hundreds of people associated with the former Awami League government remained imprisoned without charge. He also referred to concerns raised by the rights organisation over deaths in custody and allegations that detainees had been denied medical treatment.
Blackburn said lawyers had reported cases in which clients were advised against seeking bail because police allegedly responded by filing fresh cases.
“What does the right to bail mean if exercising it opens another route back to prison?” he asked, arguing that political power had changed hands but the denial of due-process protections to opponents remained.
He stressed that Bangladesh needed support from its genuine friends, but said this could come only through an honest reckoning with the country’s past and a consistent commitment to democratic principles.
On the 1971 Liberation War, Blackburn said justice for its victims was both their right and essential to Bangladesh as a nation. However, he stressed that the historical significance of the conflict could not override the requirement for fair trials.
He also pointed to Jamaat-e-Islami’s return to electoral politics after the restoration of its registration in 2025 as an example of political exclusion being reversed. Despite Jamaat’s opposition to Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan, he noted, the
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