The CIVICUS Monitor on Wednesday said it upgraded the rating of Bangladesh in terms of its increased civic space after the much-needed reforms have been made by the interim government.
The CIVICUS Monitor, a research consortium led by global civil-society alliance CIVICUS, tracked civic-space conditions in 198 countries in 2024, compiled and analysed in its 'People Power under Attack 2024' report.
Bangladesh's upgraded rating, detailed in the annual report, reflected the release of protesters as well as human rights defenders from detention, according to CIVICUS.
The CIVICUS data provides the basis for civic-space ratings and countries can be rated as either 'Closed', 'Repressed', 'Obstructed', 'Narrowed' or 'Open'.
It upgraded Bangladesh to "repressed" from "closed" in its fresh ratings. The country's score improved by four points from 20 to 24, moving it away from the ranks of "closed" countries worldwide.
The Monitor determines each country's rating based on data on civic-space incidents collected by civil-society groups globally. Incidents may include protests, censorship, capture of rights defenders and harassment.
Each country then receives a rating between 0-100 based on its incidents, with higher scores indicating more open civic space.
The Yunus-led interim government took steps to address civic-space concerns following mass protests in Bangladesh that led to the fall of the Hasina regime this August, according to a media statement.
This upgradation reflects the government's signature onto the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, creation of a commission of inquiry on all cases of enforced disappearances, and removal of jail terms for convictions of two prominent human rights defenders from Odhikar.
"Professor Muhammad Yunus and his interim government have opened a new chapter in the story of Bangladesh and its people," said Josef Benedict, Asia-Pacific researcher at the CIVICUS Monitor.
"The progress documented by the CIVICUS Monitor lifts up hope that by working with civil society, the interim government can undertake the legal and policy reforms needed to ensure the protection of fundamental freedom for all citizens regardless of their political leanings."
Despite this progress, the group suggests more work, including disbanding security units such as the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) responsible for enforced disappearances and torture, reforming the much-maligned NGO Affairs Bureau to ensure it supports civil society.
It also called for amending the Foreign Donations Law, which creates a bureaucratic maze for civil society to receive international funding are the first steps to protecting Bangladesh's civil society.
The government should take steps to protect journalists so that they can work freely and without fear of retribution for expressing critical opinions or covering topics that the government may deem sensitive.
Other much-needed reforms include repealing restrictive laws like the draconian Cyber Security Act 2023 and other provisions criminalising defamation, and enabling accountability for past crimes, including investigating all instances of extrajudicial killing and excessive force by security forces.
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