Shawdesh Desk:

Civic space condition improved in Bangladesh due to steps taken by the interim government, said the People Power Under Attack 2024 report.

The CIVICUS Monitor, a research consortium led by global civil society alliance CIVICUS that track civic space, unveiled the new report on Wednesday, said a press release.

Bangladesh stayed at ‘Closed,’ the lower level of the ranking and improved one step to ‘Repressed’ in its annual ratings.

The data provides the basis for civic space ratings and countries can be rated as either ‘Closed’, ‘Repressed’, ‘Obstructed’, ‘Narrowed’ or ‘Open’.

This year, Bangladesh’s score improved by 4 points from 20 to 24, moving it away from the ranks of ‘Closed’ countries worldwide.

‘Professor Muhammad Yunus and his interim government have opened a new chapter in the story of Bangladesh and its people,’ said Josef Benedict, the Asia Pacific Researcher at the CIVICUS Monitor.

CIVICUS, headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa, also reflects the interim government’s signature onto the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances, the creation of a commission for inquiry into all cases of enforced disappearances, and the removal of jail terms for the convictions of two prominent human rights defenders from Odhikar.

Each country receives a rating between 0-100 — based on its incidents, including protests, censorship, arrests of human rights defenders and harassment — with higher scores indicating more open.

The interim government must also take steps to protect journalists, the mechanisms to ensure journalists can work freely and without fear of retribution for expressing critical opinions or covering topics that the government may deem sensitive.

The report, however, raised concerns about reprisals against journalists whose reporting was considered favourable for the previous regime.