Bangladesh - August 2024

On 5 August, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina abruptly resigned and fled the country after weeks of student-led protests against a controversial government job quota scheme introduced in July. Initially peaceful, the protests descended into violence amid a harsh crackdown by authorities and evolved into anti-government demonstrations. On 5 August, protesters defied a military curfew and stormed Hasina’s residence, prompting her departure when military forces refused to intervene. The President dissolved Parliament the next day, paving the way for forming an interim government. On 8 August, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was sworn in as Bangladesh’s interim Chief Adviser (a position comparable to the prime minister)– a key demand from protesters. The interim government said general elections would be held after essential reforms were made to state institutions. The interim cabinet members –considered advisors rather than ministers - were selected in consultation with student leaders, the military and civil society representatives. 

Sources: International IDEA, Al Jazeera, OHCHR, East Asia Forum, Deutsche Welle, The Daily Star 

On 7 August, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and three senior Grameen Bank officials were acquitted of a labour law conviction initially handed down in January. The acquittal came just a day before Yunus was sworn in as Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor for the interim government following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation amid nationwide protests.  Shortly after, Yunus and 13 others were also cleared in a graft case brought by the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission. Both cases were widely seen as politically motivated, facilitated by legal pressure from the previous government, which viewed Yunus as a political rival. Similarly, on 6 August, another one of Hasina’s political adversaries, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, had her 2018 corruption conviction overturned by presidential decree. The timing and context surrounding these acquittals remain unclear. 

Sources: International IDEA, The Daily Star, Time Magazine, Al Jazeera