Human Rights Council Hears Allegations of Tribal Massacre in Bangladesh's CHT

Geneva: The alleged massacre of indigenous peoples in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) was brought before the international community today at the 60th Session of the UN Human Rights Council.

On September 30, 2025, activist Suhas Chakma raised the violent events that occurred on September 28 in Guimara, Khagrachari district, where he reported that the Bangladesh Army indiscriminately fired upon indigenous protestors. The violence resulted in three indigenous people being shot dead and dozens injured. The protestors were demanding justice for an indigenous girl who was allegedly gang-raped by settlers just five days earlier on September 23.

Chakma, highlighting a wider context of impunity in Bangladesh, cited alarming statistics for the last year, including 637 mob lynching deaths, the targeting of 878 journalists, 2,485 acts of violence against religious minorities, and criminal cases filed against over 500,000 political opponents.

A key point of concern raised was the status of Bangladesh’s national human rights institution. The Interim Government of Dr. Muhammad Yunus, on November 7, 2024, sacked all members of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) after it highlighted a rise in mob violence and harassment in its newsletter.

Chakma sharply criticized the continued vacancy of the commission, calling it "an unacceptable example of negligence toward state responsibility." He also stated that the Global Alliance of NHRIs failed to act on his complaint filed last year to suspend the Bangladesh NHRC due to its non-existence.

Calling for immediate action, Chakma urged the UN Human Rights Council to press Bangladesh to immediately appoint all members of the NHRC to address the escalating human rights violations across the country.