Bangladesh’s interim administration led by Muhammad Yunus has issued a sweeping ordinance that effectively shields participants of the July–August uprising from legal accountability, a move that critics say will ensure impunity for serious crimes committed during the unrest. While courts continue to hear cases against former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her associates, the new legal protection means that the killings of police personnel, members of Hindu minority communities and political rivals during the protests are unlikely to face prosecution.
The interim government has promulgated the July Uprising (Protection and Liability Determination) Ordinance, 2026, which grants blanket immunity to those involved in the July–August protests. According to United News of Bangladesh, a gazette notification issued late Sunday night confirmed that all existing civil and criminal cases linked to the uprising will be withdrawn, and that no new cases can be filed against participants for actions carried out during that period.
Legal experts and opposition figures have warned that the ordinance could allow perpetrators of grave violence to escape justice. The unrest saw the deaths of dozens of police officers, attacks on Hindu minorities and targeted killings of political opponents, particularly activists of the Awami League. Critics argue that many of those responsible were Islamist radicals or politically motivated groups who infiltrated what began as a student-led quota agitation and later turned it into a violent anti-Hasina movement.
Although the ordinance appears to conflict with the spirit and provisions of the Bangladeshi Constitution, observers believe it may still withstand judicial scrutiny due to what they describe as a weakened and pliant legal system. The timing of the measure has further fuelled suspicion, as it comes from a regime that rose to power with the backing of leaders and groups that played a prominent role in the agitation.
As the protests escalated in mid-2024, police stations were attacked, set ablaze and overrun, with officers being lynched in several places. The targeted nature of the violence against law enforcement signalled, according to analysts, that the movement had been hijacked by organised and radical elements. Policing in many parts of the country has yet to fully recover, even more than a year after the fall of the Hasina government.
Official figures released by police headquarters in October 2024 stated that at least 44 police officers were killed during the July–August violence, a number some opposition leaders believe significantly understates the true toll. Incidents of brutality also extended beyond police personnel. In the immediate aftermath of the regime change on August 5, 2024, Bangladesh descended into widespread lawlessness, with minority communities—particularly Hindus—and political rivals facing arson, assaults and killings. Reports documented more than 200 attacks on minorities within the first three days alone, with several fatalities.
The ordinance further stipulates that allegations of killings during the uprising cannot be directly brought before courts or investigated by regular law enforcement agencies. Instead, such complaints must be referred to the National Human Rights Commission, which will determine whether a killing was part of “political resistance” or a “criminal misuse” of the chaotic situation. If deemed political, the commission may recommend compensation to victims’ families, but no criminal case can proceed.
Opposition leaders have strongly objected to this framework, arguing that it creates a double standard in justice. They point out that while the interim government is pursuing trials against Hasina and her aides through the International Crimes Tribunal, it is simultaneously providing legal cover to those who committed violence during the protests that brought the current regime to power. Critics say this approach risks institutionalising impunity, deepening communal and political divisions, and denying justice to families of slain police officers, minorities and political activists.
