Bangladesh

Credit: SK Hasan Ali, Shutterstock / Student Movement Protesting, Dhaka, Bangladesh, 2024.

HRDC is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious, non-government human rights and democracy institution in Bangladesh. The vision of HRDC is a trauma and discrimination free Bangladesh.

HRDC is working to protect and promote human rights, minority rights, indigenous peoples rights, democracy and good governance, and peace, freedom of religion or belief in Bangladesh and to advocate for social harmony, peaceful coexistence, social democracy and religious tolerance in policy making.

Students painting graffiti in memory of those killed at pro-democracy protest in Bangladesh. Credit: shutterstock, Zakir1346.

To address effectively the acute crisis in Bangladesh, United Against Torture Consortium (UATC) adopted a Crisis Response procedure, the first of its kind as Bangladesh approached its general election in January 2024, and the rise in torture went hand in hand with attacks on the rule of law.

IRCT led on drafting a series of statements (in English and Bengali) aimed at the government in Dhaka and its international partners, as well as providing emergency grants and training on torture documentation for our new member Human Rights Development Centre (HRDC).

Police Try To Disperse Protesters during the July Uprising in 2024. credit: Mamunur Rashid, Shutterstock

Together with member organisation Human Rights Development Centre (HRDC) IRCT produced a Bengali version of the Protest Toolkit to help protesters document evidence of police violence.

Find more information about the Protest Toolkit

During the July–August 2024 mass uprising in Bangladesh, thousands of individuals were subjected to torture, gunshot injuries, and severe trauma, resulting in long-term physical and psychological consequences. Despite efforts by the post-revolution Government institutions and civil society organisations, many survivors continue to face significant barriers to rehabilitation, including limited access to specialised services, insufficient mental health care, and bureaucratic delays.

The violations committed during the July–August protests were not isolated incidents but rather part of deeper, systemic patterns that require sustained engagement, institutional reform, and long-term rehabilitation and accountability mechanisms.

In 2025 IRCT supported Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK)—a civil society organisation operating as a hospital and primarily serving low-income and marginalised communities—through a grant of EUR 60,000. Many survivors were referred to GK through IRCT’s member in Bangladesh Human Rights Development Centre (HRDC). The majority of survivors received individual mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS), with structured follow-up demonstrating improvements in mood, coping capacity, and emotional regulation.

During the year, a total of 930 medical services were provided to 323 torture survivors (280 men and 43 women) ensuring continuity of care, addressing both acute injuries and longer-term rehabilitation needs. According to client feedback surveys, 70% of survivors reported improvements in their physical condition.

Watch Santana Kundu, a psychologist and project manager at Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK) explain how they support marginalised people who suffer as a result of the Uprising in 2024

In Bangladesh, IRCT in 2025 worked with Omega Research Foundation and Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT) as members of the United Against Torture Consortium (UATC) to undertake a mission to assess documentation support needs, review ongoing investigations, and identify gaps in rehabilitation and reparations approaches. Consulting with member HRDC and partners BLAST, GK, and Odhikar, as well as representatives of the Interim Government, the assessment led to a training and documentation mission in May in Chittagong and Dhaka.

Staff at BLAST, which has been leading documentation of torture and other grave human rights violations during the July 2024 protest movement, received specialised training on self-care and trauma-informed interviewing techniques using the Istanbul Protocol, aimed to strengthen survivor-centered documentation practices and addressing issues of vicarious and secondary trauma. The training was also attended by several highlevel lawyers including from the Office of the Prosecution and the Appellate Division which works on torture cases.

The IRCT team, including forensic medical expert Dr Onder Ozkalipci (IFEG) and psychologists Valeria Moscoso (IFEG-Mexico) and Clarisa Lemus (CAPS Colombia), conducted individual forensic medical and psychological evaluations of 14 male survivors aged 12–45, representing low- to middle-income backgrounds (students, rickshaw drivers, factory workers, laborers) who sustained gunshot and pellet injuries. In addition, two focus group discussions with 30 participants, including survivors and family members, explored socio-economic, familial, and community impacts.

Report by Sapran, June 2025

The mission produced individual medico-legal reports, focus group reports, and a comprehensive synthesis report to support advocacy, inform rehabilitation program design, and provide evidence for legal interventions.

During the mission, IRCT also provided specialised training to BLAST staff on self-care and traumainformed interviewing techniques, building on previous Care4Caregivers activities. The training aimed to strengthen survivor-centered documentation practices and address issues of vicarious and secondary trauma.

Ahead of a National Consultation on Torture Prevention in Dhaka in April 2026, the IRCT released a report of its recommendations for increasing the availability, accessibility and appropriateness of the rehabilitation services provided.

Report by IRCT and Blast to the Special Rapporteur on Torture on the Urgent Rehabilitation Needs of Survivors of State Violence

Redress Briefing paper

OMCT Statement

OMEGA Statement