CAGE warns that corruption thrives, where reform fails

CAGE International has put out a new report, ‘Out of the Shadow of Hasina,’ which it describes as a pathway towards accountability for the people of Bangladesh, where counter-terrorism continues to be used to entrench repression. CAGE’s report highlights the long shadow cast by 15 years of authoritarian rule under the Hasina regime, toppled in July 2024, and the rocky road towards reform.

No reform under the same system

The London-based advocacy group argues that Bangladesh’s future fate:

depends not only on electoral outcomes, but on whether the next government is willing to confront the legacy of the security state and restore fundamental rights eroded under the guise of counter-terrorism.

Reminding us that change means nothing if the system doesn’t change. Their reporting highlights political pain points mirroring the fault lines within our own political system — reminiscent of Labour’s war on civil liberties.

Hasina’s legacy of repression

Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was found guilty in November of crimes against humanity, for inciting and ordering lethal force against its own people. In absentia, Hasina has been sentenced to death in Bangladesh for her crimes. This ruling follows widespread protests from Bangladeshi citizens in disgust at Hasina’s brutal crackdown on student-led dissent. It is reported that 1,400 were killed during the civil unrest last year.

CAGE’s report came weeks ahead of Bangladesh’s general elections held on 12 February. The report warns voters that swapping one leader for another achieves nothing if the security infrastructure created during the global ‘war on terror’ remains firmly in place.

Their key findings are as follows:

• Counter-terrorism laws were used as tools of political repression, with the Anti-Terrorism Act and Digital Security Act enabling mass arrests, prolonged pre-trial detention, and criminalisation of dissent
• The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) functioned as a central instrument of state violence, implicated in over 1,200 extrajudicial killings and more than 600 enforced disappearances
• Journalists, opposition figures, religious leaders, and young people were disproportionately targeted, particularly in the run-up to elections
• The Anti-Terrorism Tribunal routinely violated due process through fabricated evidence, forced confessions, and denial of legal representation
• International counter-terrorism cooperation – involving the US, UK, and India – played a role in sustaining and legitimising these abuses

CAGE hones in on the policies introduced in the wake of 9/11 under the ‘war on terror.’ The underscore how mechanisms designed to silence dissent were forged in the interests of the political elite.

Research Director at CAGE, Asim Qureshi, confronted the insanity of maintaining these toxic, repressive arms of the state:

“Bangladesh’s elections will mean little if the same security architecture that enabled torture, disappearances, and political imprisonment remains intact. This report shows that repression under Sheikh Hasina was engineered through counter-terror laws and institutions that still exist today. Any genuine transition must prioritise truth, accountability, and the dismantling of these powers, rather than cosmetic political change.”

The report’s release comes at a critical juncture for Bangladesh (post-Hasina). More specifically, political parties are now jostling for power, positioning themselves as the alternative to Hasina. CAGE hols that without reforming counter-terror legislation and the inherited security apparatus, Bangladesh risks entrenching authoritarianism under a new guise.

No more of the same

The Canary published a piece in October last year about the widespread dissent in the Global South. These protests were in response to inequality, government corruption and economic hardship. Specifically, our own Alex/Rose Cocker highlighted the actions of protest group Gen-Z 212 in Morocco, whose demands draw parallels to those we see reflected in Bangladeshi society. They wrote:

Protest organisers GenZ 212 presented an open letter to King Mohammed VI on Friday 3 October. They characterised themselves as “the youth of Morocco carrying the message of a nation”, backed by dozens of leading voices from public institutions. Their demands include:

• The dismissal of the current government, and the dissolution of any parties who were complicit in corruption networks.
• Impartial trials for the people implicated in the misuse of public money.
• Protections for free speech, equality and protest.
• The release of prisoners associated with the current protests.
• A public accountability hearing chaired by the king, airing evidence of government corruption to the whole country.

The winners of this month’s elections are the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which secured a landslide majority. The National Citizen Party (NCP), led by Jamaat-e-Islami, won six seats. This blossoming, progressive party was formed by student leaders who took part in the 2024 uprising.

According to ABC Asia, a more progressive policy platform is emerging even though critics claimed voters would not ‘fully comprehend’ it. The outlet wrote:

First, this election is significant because, for the first time in more than a decade, people were able to cast their ballots in a relatively free and fair environment. The elections held in 2014, 2018 and 2024 during the Awami League’s rule were widely seen as neither free nor fair, and marked by widespread irregularities and intimidation.

Both the BNP and opposition parties also claimed there were irregularities with the recent election.

The 2026 election was also significant because it was a referendum on the July National Charter. Aimed at incorporating the spirit of the July uprising, the charter adopted 84 proposals based on various reform commissions’ recommendations.

Despite concerns about the complexity of these proposals, and arguments that they might be difficult for ordinary citizens to fully comprehend, an overwhelming majority of voters supported the charter. Estimates suggest that more than 62 per cent voted in favour, compared to 29 per cent who voted against it.

Re-prioritise civil rights and freedoms

Nevertheless, the report remains timely and essential. The BNP won, with a minor concession from those in power to its struggling citizens. As a result, it remains crucial for Bangladeshi citizens to challenge and dismantle the state apparatuses instrumental in sustaining years of Hasina rule. To that end, Out of the Shadow of Hasina makes five recommendations deemed necessary to begin reversing the rot of state corruption in Bangladesh:

• Implementing reparations, legal redress, and rehabilitation programmes for survivors and affected families.
• Establishing an independent national Truth and Reconciliation Commission to investigate political imprisonment, enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings between 2009 and 2024.
• Repealing the Digital Security Act in full and abolishing the Anti-Terrorism Act to align with international human rights standards
• Abolishing the Anti-Terrorism Tribunal and ensuring due process in all security-related prosecutions
• Dismantling the Rapid Action Battalion and introducing robust civilian oversight of security forces

They conclude with a stark reality: democratic elections are entirely redundant for the masses if the tools they use remain the same.

After all, true change, as CAGE underlines, will come when those in office restore fundamental rights stripped in the name of counter-terrorism.

A lesson the West would do well to heed, especially given our own apparently corrupt leaders.

Featured image via the Canary