Date first published: 20/02/2025
Key sectors: all
Key risks: arbitrary arrests; partisan attacks; political polarisation
Risk development
As of 20 February, an estimated 5,500 people have been arrested as part of the government’s Operation Devil Hunt, with over 500 taking place within the past 24 hours. The operation, launched to re-establish order as civil unrest escalates nationwide, followed a 7 February attack on a student group in Gazipur, Dhaka. The action was harshly condemned by the interim government, which subsequently authorised the launch of the operation on 9 February. The operation has taken place nationwide, with arrests recorded in Gazipur, Dhaka, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Cumilla and Khagrachhari as Dhaka seeks to pre-emptively suppress violent action carried out by the Awami League (AL)’s supporters.
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