Arakan News Agency
Bangladesh’s interim Prime Minister, Advisor Mohammad Yunus, reaffirmed his country’s commitment to defending the rights of persecuted Rohingya, who continue to face ethnic-based injustice. Speaking Wednesday, as reported by UNB, Yunus noted that eight years after the mass exodus, no Rohingya have been able to return to Myanmar. He added that Bangladesh continues to bear a significant humanitarian burden by providing temporary shelter while raising global awareness about their plight, most recently at a UN high-level conference on September 30, 2025.
In a separate announcement, Yunus stated that Bangladesh is preparing to hold free and fair general elections in early February 2026, as part of a broader effort to build a just society. He reiterated his government’s commitment to working with international partners and the United Nations system to strengthen the national human rights framework and actively engage the global community in raising international human rights standards, emphasizing that human rights must be promoted as a fundamental principle that upholds the dignity and value of every human life without discrimination.
On the occasion of World Human Rights Day 2025, Yunus affirmed that the people and government of Bangladesh renew their commitment to protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of all individuals, in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Charter, under this year’s theme: “Human Rights, Our Daily Necessities.”
Yunus also highlighted that Bangladesh, following the historic “July Uprising” led by youth against injustice and tyranny one and a half years ago, has emerged as a “New Bangladesh,” with a strengthened commitment to justice, including through rulings issued by the International Crimes Tribunal that convicted members of the former regime of committing crimes against humanity.
Bangladesh currently hosts approximately 1.3 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar camps, classified by the United Nations as the world’s largest refugee settlement. The refugees continue to live under difficult humanitarian conditions after fleeing Myanmar in 2017, following a campaign of “genocide” by the Myanmar military. Displacement intensified after renewed clashes in Arakan State between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Buddhist militias (Arakan Army) in November 2023.
