Deaths from mob violence doubled in two months

Based on a comparative analysis of December last year and January this year, the Human Rights Culture Foundation (MSF) has said that the number of deaths caused by lynching or mob violence doubled in January. At the same time, the number of unidentified bodies also increased.

This picture emerged in MSF’s January human rights report released yesterday. MSF prepares a monthly human rights report based on reports from various newspapers and its own investigations.

Noting that incidents of killing by mob violence have increased during the tenure of the current government, the report said that 28 incidents of mob violence or lynching occurred in January this year, leaving 21 people dead. In December, 10 people were killed in 24 such incidents. According to MSF, the rise in the number of people killed and injured in lynching incidents in January reflects public distrust in the rule of law and the weakness of the institutional justice system.

The human rights organization believes that killing through lynching in defiance of the law is clearly a criminal offence and is considered an extrajudicial killing. According to the report, 57 unidentified bodies were recovered in January this year, compared to 48 in December. MSF said the increase in the recovery of unidentified bodies strengthens concerns about violence, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings in society. In addition, while nine people died in custody in December, the number rose to 15 in January.

The report also stated that although the number of arrests in cases related to the anti-discrimination student movement against the Awami League fell by half in January compared to December (from 16 to 8), the number of accused in cases filed against individuals linked to Sheikh Hasina over killings and violence that occurred after the fall of the government increased at an abnormal rate. In particular, the number of named accused rose from 30 to 120 in January, while the number of unidentified accused increased from 110 to 320.

According to MSF, this situation raises serious questions about the transparency and fairness of legal processes and indicates tendencies toward political vengeance and mass litigation. The number of people injured in political violence increased significantly in January. Compared to December, the number of injured nearly doubled in January. The number of deaths due to political violence rose from one to four in January. MSF considers this situation to be deeply concerning.

According to MSF data, there were 15 incidents of minority persecution in January, including vandalism of idols, destruction of homes, and filing of cases, whereas only four such incidents were recorded in December. In January, two deaths occurred in the custody of law enforcement agencies. In addition, one person was killed in a shootout involving these forces. MSF said the increase in deaths due to torture compared to December clearly shows that custodial torture remains a structural problem.