Rights group slams ideological exclusion of lawyers from bar association polls in Bangladesh

Paris, April 18 A leading international human rights organisation strongly condemned the recent pattern of "irregularities, discriminatory treatment" against legal professionals and the cancellation of candidatures of pro-Awami League lawyers in bar association elections in Bangladesh solely on the basis of political ideology.

Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) alleged that these lawyers are obstructed from participating in elections and cited police interference in the bar associations' polls across multiple districts, including Munshiganj, Mymensingh, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Jhalakathi, Khulna, Narail, and Sunamganj, under the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led government.

Expressing grave concern, the rights body called for ensuring an environment in which lawyers of all beliefs can exercise their democratic rights. It also urged exemplary action against those responsible through international-standard investigations into each incident under the direct supervision of the United Nations Human Rights Council, stating that such incidents violate the Constitution of Bangladesh and the fundamental human rights proclaimed by the UN.

According to the JMBF, these incidents are not “isolated irregularities” but part of a “systematic and deliberate process of political exclusion, through which a section of the legal community is being deliberately expelled from professional and democratic processes”.

As a result, it said that "the fundamental character of bar associations as independent professional bodies is being undermined, creating a serious risk of eroding public confidence in the justice system.”

The rights body asserted that such actions are entirely unacceptable given the country’s existing legal framework and the fundamental principles of justice.

“A bar association, as a self-governing professional body, is supposed to be run on the basis of neutrality, transparency, and equal rights. In reality, however, candidates are being declared ineligible without proper hearings, impartial investigation, or the opportunity to defend themselves, which constitutes a clear violation of the principles of natural justice and due process. At the same time, direct or indirect interference by the administration and law enforcement agencies amounts to an abuse of power and gravely undermines the concept of the rule of law,” the JMBF stated.

JMBF raised alarm over the use of “politically sensitive and vague terminology” to impose repressive measures against lawyers, warning that election authorities are losing their neutrality and that in many cases unopposed elections are being orchestrated in a way that reduces the democratic process into a mere “farce”.

If these trends continue, it said, “the independence of the legal profession and the impartiality of the justice system will face grave risks.”

The rights body called on the United Nations, international human rights organisations, bar councils, and global institutions working for the rule of law to take note of the situation in Bangladesh’s bar associations and adopt necessary measures.

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