Rome, 3 February 2025: A number of human rights organizations and global advocacy groups have raised alarm over the increasing violence against Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists in Bangladesh. Reports of attacks on religious minorities, including assaults, forced conversions, desecration of places of worship, and targeted killings, intensified concerns over the safety and security of these communities in the south Asian nation. A demonstration for peace in Bangladesh was organised on Monday in the capital city of Italy with an aim to bring attention of the international community in support of Hindus, Christians and Buddhists who were attacked and the houses of worship targeted, businesses destroyed since the change of regime in Dhaka.
On 30 January, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council held a press conference to brief members of the global media on various acts of violence against minorities in the Muslim majority country. Not much of this information has been highlighted by the international media outlets and the global community has largely ignored the acts of violence there.
“The wave of violence against Hindus, Christians and other religious minorities in Bangladesh has reached alarming proportions. Recent reports show a worrying trend of increasing extremism in the country, with violent incidents targeting the religious minorities and their places of worship. In addition to cases of physical violence, discrimination against religious minorities is systematically manifested in access to employment, education, and justice,” said the organiser of the Rome protest demonstration.
It is important to recall that Bangladesh has ratified key international conventions for the promotion and protection of human rights, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. In this context, the silence of the international community is deeply concerning. For this reason, civil society initiatives like the demonstration for peace was organised at Piazza dei Santi Apostoli in Rome aiming to shed light on the dire conditions in which minorities in Bangladesh are forced to live, said Giulio Terzi di Sant’Agata , Senator of the Italian Republic and President of the Senate Commission on European Affairs.
Since 4 August 2024, the religious and ethnic minorities were deliberately targeted. Their homes, places of worship and businesses looted while the State apparatus remained silent, often categorising violence against minorities as political violence against the former Awami League government and the party leader-workers. The global bodies, including the United Nations and the Amnesty International urged the Bangladeshi government to take immediate and concrete steps to protect the religious minorities. Advocacy groups are now calling for stronger enforcement of laws against religious violence, enhanced security for vulnerable communities, and the prosecution of those responsible for hate crimes.
“We all, both as human beings and leaders in our respective countries, should stand up for justice and protection of fellow humans when they are attacked because of their religion and identity, regardless of where in the world they might live. I would like to reveal that I have addressed the situation in Bangladesh with the Norwegian government.” said Himanshu Gulati, Member of the Nordic Parliament, in a message of support from Oslo.
The international community has been urged to take diplomatic and economic measures to press Dhaka into upholding its commitments to human rights and religious freedom. The civil society organizations are also calling for increased awareness and intervention to prevent further atrocities on minorities in the trouble-ridden Bangladesh.
Violence against Religious Minorities in Bangladesh
