The failure of an electoral government to protect human rights led to the emergence of people’s uprisings: Bangladesh context

Between 2008 and 2024, Bangladesh experienced 15 years of undemocratic practices under the administration of the former ousted government (hereinafter referred to as the “Hasina regime”), severely limiting human rights. The period constituted a “reign of terror” leading to a culture of disappearances and extrajudicial killings that curtailed the civil and political rights of citizens, suppressed dissenting voices, and subjected opposition members to torture. Democracy took a back seat, exacerbating the repression of fundamental human rights. The paper demonstrates that the severe democratic backsliding severely undermined human rights, resulting in a mass uprising which successfully ousted the former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina. The July revolution/uprising in Bangladesh, sparked by a protest against the quota system, marked the end of 15 years of authoritarian rule. The paper shows the July Revolution’s uniqueness, as it sprang not from economic or developmental failures of the government, but rather from undemocratic practices and human rights violations. Sheikh Hasina’s downfall has been considered a “second liberation” to many Bangladeshis.