Human Rights situation report of Bangladesh, 2020
In spite of having constitutional obligation and international laws and treaties, human rights are drastically violated in Bangladesh. Despite the Corona pandemic in 2020, Bangladesh’s overall human rights situation was frightful. Reviewing the annual human rights situation of Bangladesh in 2020, this year also saw extrajudicial killings by law enforcement agencies, torture in the custody, unlawful activities by the members of law enforcement agencies, disappearances after abductions and killed in mass beatings as in previous years. Political violence, arrests and attacks on journalists, the killing and torture of innocent Bangladeshis by BSF at the border areas and violence against women, especially rape and domestic violence have increased alarmingly amid the corona pandemic. The report shows that the overall human rights condition of Bangladesh has become deteriorated and dreadful gradually in 2020 as the government restricted on freedom of expression especially arrest and harassment of journalists, human rights activists and dissidents by the digital security act and limited political right and civil society space.
According to HRSS investigation team and collected information from different newspapers in 2020: a total of 244 persons were reportedly extra-judicially killed. Of them, 169 were killed in the name of ‘crossfire/ gunfights/infights’, 20 tortured to death, 12 shot to death and 43 were died in the custody in a total of 201 incidents. On the other hand, a total of 33 persons have been ‘disappeared’ by the law enforcement agencies (remain missing for at least 72 hours) in different incidents. Out of them, death bodies of 02 persons found, 13 shown arrest and 12 persons remained missing till now.
In the meantime, in 2020, a total of 1637 females were raped. Among them, 787 victims were adult whereas alarmingly 850 were children under the age of 16. It’s a grave concern that 213 have been victim of gang-raped and 34 were brutally killed after being raped. Meanwhile, 177 women were killed in family feud related violence, 44 female injured and 34 female suicide for family feud in 255 incidents. Approximately, 122 incidents of dowry-related violence were reported, where 57 were killed and 65 women physically abused over dowry demand. A total of 140 girls and women were reportedly victims of sexual harassment. In 2020, 21 incidents of acid throwing have been occurred and 24 female were injured. It is also alarming that in a total of 136 violent incidents against children from January to December 2020, 56 lost their lives and 90 were critically injured.
It has been reported by HRSS that, 02 journalists were killed, 83 injured, 20 threatened, 17 arrested and 20 were assaulted in nearly 125 incidents during the year of 2020. Meanwhile, 110 people have been arrested and 141 cases filed in a total of 100 incidents of Digital security act 2018. HRSS has also observed the incidents of attacks on minorities in 2020, where at least 09 temples and 14 houses were partially or fully destroyed. Meanwhile, 01 minority member was killed and 12 injured in a total of 19 incidents.

Short Annual Report’20 English