Year after uprising, Bangladesh far from stable

Abdur Rahman Tarif was talking to his sister Meherunnesa over the phone when the voice on the other end of the call suddenly fell silent. In that moment, Tarif knew something bad had happened. He rushed home, dodging the exchange of fire between security forces and protesters on the streets of Dhaka.

When he finally arrived, he discovered his parents tending to his bleeding sister. A stray bullet had hit her chest while she was standing beside the window of her room, Tarif said.

The 23-year-old was killed on August 5 last year, the same day Bangladesh’s former PM Sheikh Hasina was forced to flee the country in a massive student-led uprising, which ended her 15-year rule.

For much of Bangladesh, Hasina’s ouster was a moment of joy. Three days later, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took over the country as head of an interim government, promising to restore order and hold elections after reforms.

A year on, Bangladesh is still reeling from that violence, and Hasina now faces trial for crimes against humanity, in absentia as she is in exile in India. But despite the bloodshed, many say the prospect for a better Bangladesh with a liberal democracy, political tolerance and religious and communal harmony has remained a challenge.

“The hope of the thousands who braved lethal violence a year ago when they opposed Hasina’s abusive rule to build a rights-respecting democracy remains unfulfilled,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, a New York-based human rights group.

After taking the reins, the Yunus-led administration formed 11 reform commissions, including a national consensus commission that is working with major political parties for future governments and the electoral process.

Bickering political parties have failed to reach a consensus on a timetable and process for elections. Rights groups say some of the fear and repression that marked Hasina’s rule appear to have ended, but they accuse the new government of using arbitrary detention to target perceived political opponents, especially Hasina’s supporters, many of whom have gone into hiding.