International conference on human rights allegations in Bangladesh

Ansar Ahmed Ullah:

An international conference on blasphemy allegations, mob violence and the protection of religious minorities in Bangladesh was held on 24 January 2026 at Het Nutshuis in The Hague, organised by Global Human Rights Defence.

The event, titled Blasphemy Allegations, Mob Violence and the Protection of Religious Minorities in Bangladesh, was opened by Harry van Bommel and brought together academics, politicians and human rights advocates to discuss laws, state accountability and patterns of violence affecting minorities, particularly Hindus.

Global Human Rights Defence, a Hague-based organisation accredited by the UN ECOSOC, convened the conference following a series of incidents linked to blasphemy allegations. Although Bangladesh has no formal blasphemy law, sections 295 to 298 of the 1860 penal code and the 2018 Digital Security Act were criticised for being used disproportionately against non-Muslims. Statistics presented showed that in 2025, Hindus, about eight per cent of the population, were victims of 42 lynchings, compared with 150 cases among Muslims, who make up 92 per cent. Between August 2024 and December 2025, 2,829 incidents of violence against Hindus were recorded, including 70 deaths, attacks on 386 families and damage to 1,766 temples.

Cases highlighted included Dipu Chandra Das, lynched and burned in Mymensingh; Bablu Dutta, killed in Khulna; Anita Karmakar, found dead in the Shitalakshya River; Subrata Chandra Das, killed in Noakhali; and attacks in Khagrachari-Guimara that left five indigenous Hindus dead.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr Anthonie Holslag, a Dutch scholar specialising in genocide studies. The first panel featured Paulo Casaca, founder of the South Asia Democratic Forum; Dr Habibe Millat, former Bangladeshi MP and Priyajit Debsarkar, a London-based geopolitical analyst. The second panel included Andy Vermaut and Nawin Ramcharan, focusing on media, security and social impacts. The third panel brought together Rahman Khalilur Mamun, Prof Chandan Sarkar and Fareed Ahmad, with Dr Anthonie Holslag closing the discussions on international responses.

The conference concluded with a report by Wiktoria Halina Walczyk and closing remarks by Harry van Bommel, during which participants criticised the limited responses from the United Nations, the European Union, and the international media, and called for stronger action to protect religious minorities in Bangladesh.