Column Shahbag and the Permanent Civil War A cultural conflict between Islamist and secular factions is unfolding in the new Bangladesh, shaping a new national identity, while secular progressives are in dire need of introspecting about the effectiveness of their historical narratives. Zain Ali September 20th 2024
Column Watching Bangladesh from India (and West Bengal): Past, Present and Future There are fundamental differences between the views of India and West Bengal about Bangladesh. Bangladeshis will do well to be aware of these differences and the lay of the land post-August 5, to chart a constructive new course. Garga Chatterjee September 19th 2024
Column Confessions of a secular nationalist The end of Awami League's autocratic regime has released the natural flow of Bangladesh's political currents. Accepting this new reality is the first step towards constructive dialogues and action. Zain Ali August 29th 2024
Column If this is a new beginning, what about the Chittagong Hill Tracts? The events culminating in Hasina’s fall serve as a reminder of the methods of disenfranchising the Indigenous Peoples. Their systemic exclusion cannot continue if Bangladesh is to fulfil the promise of this victory. Hana Shams Ahmed and Parboti Roy August 29th 2024
Column The election of the absurd Bangladesh’s governing party officials are threatening people with the loss of state benefits if they do not show up at the polling centres in the country’s uncontested election. David Bergman December 24th 2023
Column A gift to Hasina from the Élysée Palace In October 2022, the French president shook the hand of Adilur Rahman Khan and celebrated his fight “against impunity”. This week during his Bangladesh visit Macron ignored human rights issues, including Khan’s likely impending imprisonment. David Bergman September 13th 2023
Column The cost of independent journalism in Bangladesh The author explains that he is leaving his editorial position at Netra News, proud of what it is achieving. David Bergman May 31st 2023
Column Gowher Rizvi on Bangladesh democracy The prime minister’s international affairs adviser claims the government is democratic and is addressing the country’s weak institutions. David Bergman March 29th 2023
Column Fairness of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal is centre stage in UK supreme court libel case Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, convicted of war crimes in Bangladesh, appeals against decision to strike down libel case involving UK government report stating that he was “guilty of crimes against humanity”. David Bergman February 22nd 2023
Column Bangladesh ruling party’s new election calculus Ruling party's action towards the opposition Dhaka rally indicates free and fair elections are off the table. David Bergman December 8th 2022
Column The truth about the UN working group on enforced disappearances The concerted campaign in Bangladesh to undermine the UN’s work on enforced disappearances is ill-informed and entirely misplaced. David Bergman October 19th 2022
Column Bangladesh anti-corruption agency continues desperate bid to ensnare Yunus With no evidence to support its initial claims against Grameen Telecom, ACC is now investigating dozens of other not-for-profit entities linked to the Grameen Bank founder. David Bergman October 6th 2022
Column An open letter to Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights The success of Bachelet’s visit to Bangladesh depends on her not mincing her words, and not accommodating the country’s authoritarian government. David Bergman August 13th 2022
Column How assets and wealth hidden abroad by Bangladeshis could easily be identified Signing the OECD Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters could be a game changer — so why is the government not doing it? David Bergman July 25th 2022
Column The real Padma bridge corruption conspiracy Bangladesh government’s extraordinary campaign to deny the Padma bridge corruption conspiracy ignores an admission by SNC Lavalin that it sought to bribe government officials. David Bergman July 2nd 2022
Column Killing the messenger Bangladesh government’s decision to shut down a leading human rights organisation involves considerable self-harm. David Bergman June 13th 2022
Column In the hands of the international community Free and fair elections in Bangladesh will depend on the extent of pressure exerted by the democratic West. David Bergman May 4th 2022
Column Key Awami League activist forced to resign international fellowship over disinformation Tonmoy Ahmed, a key propagandist for the ruling party, resigned after refusing to issue a public apology over his disinformation campaign against Netra News. David Bergman April 16th 2022
Column Tulip’s silence on disappearances in Bangladesh British MP Tulip Siddiq, a member of Bangladesh’s ruling family continues to say nothing about the country’s enforced disappearances – while campaigning for release of Nazanin. David Bergman March 20th 2022
Column Bangladesh government wants Facebook to become its censor A new draft regulation attempts to severely restrict what Bangladeshis can post on social media websites. David Bergman March 7th 2022
Column Sanctions and the Bangladesh elections Does the Awami League government face the risk of new targeted sanctions if it rigs the upcoming 2023 national elections? David Bergman February 15th 2022
Column Safeguarding Bangladesh’s migrant workers Fears resurface of corrupt syndicates taking charge of recruitment of migrant workers in Bangladesh. Andy Hall January 20th 2022
Column Investigating Bangladesh’s disappearances We cannot expect Bangladeshi politicians to conduct proper investigations into crimes they ordered, facilitated or to which they earlier turned a blind eye. David Bergman January 11th 2022
Column Seeking to justify state-sponsored murders and disappearances Comparing Bangladesh’s serious human rights violations with the situation in Western liberal democracies is both inaccurate and dangerous. David Bergman December 20th 2021
Column Bangladesh puts human rights work on trial The ongoing prosecution in Bangladesh of two leading human rights activists is a threat to all independent human rights work in the country. David Bergman December 10th 2021
Column For whom Section 401 tolls? The politics of Khaleda Zia’s medical care. David Bergman December 2nd 2021
Column Towards another rigged election? More arrests of opposition activists in Bangladesh suggest the government plans another fake vote next year. David Bergman November 4th 2021
Column Why Joy is wrong about the Digital Security Act The violence that erupted after a video was posted on Facebook which incited violence against the Hindu community in Bangladesh does not justify the Digital Security Act. David Bergman October 29th 2021
Column Taking hostages to silence critics The arrest of the sister of an outspoken US-based dissident journalist is a blatant attempt by the Bangladesh government to silence a government critic. David Bergman October 9th 2021
Column The Awami League paradox A new survey provides further evidence of popular support for the Awami League. So why does the party reject free and fair elections? David Bergman September 23rd 2021
Column How to empty Bangladesh’s secret detention cells Only international sanctions against senior Bangladeshi politicians and security czars will stop enforced disappearances. David Bergman September 10th 2021
Column Centre for disinformation At the centre of the attacks on Netra News and other government critics is an organisation run by members of the Bangladeshi prime minister’s family. David Bergman August 21st 2021
Column Criticising Hasina An attempt to use the French courts to silence criticism of the Bangladeshi prime minister will not succeed. David Bergman August 7th 2021
Column Playing to the Awami League gallery An academic seems to contradict her own previous writing to praise Sheikh Mujib’s economic policies. AKM Wahiduzzaman July 29th 2021
Column CNN: Channel for hire? Should CNN broadcast commercials promoting Bangladesh, considering the free fall in the government’s human rights and democratic record? David Bergman July 15th 2021
Column Bangladesh’s predator prime minister As international media watchdog brands Sheikh Hasina a “predator of press freedom” — Bangladeshi media remains silent. David Bergman July 8th 2021
Column Conglomerate media What happens when Bangladesh’s energy, real estate and financial interests take over the media in the country. David Bergman June 24th 2021
Column Channel Awami League Most people in Bangladesh get their news from television, not print media. So who owns the country’s private television stations? David Bergman June 18th 2021
Column When journalism is criminalised Rozina Islam has been arrested for a standard journalistic practice in Bangladesh — she should be applauded, not prosecuted. David Bergman May 20th 2021
Column Covid-19: Will Bangladesh follow India into breakdown? The pandemic is now hitting India hard. Bangladesh could be next. David Bergman April 29th 2021
Column Why Hasina did not remove General Aziz How Bangladesh’s prime minister dealt with the fallout of “All the prime minister’s men” — by not changing anything. David Bergman April 15th 2021
Column What did Bangladesh gain from Modi’s visit? With at least 14 protestors dead, a resurgence of a conservative Islamic grouping, an angered West Bengal leader, it is unclear who gained from the Indian prime minister’s visit. Kamal Ahmed April 2nd 2021
Column Bangladesh at 50: The battle of competing narratives Two narratives compete to dominate descriptions of the country — one positive, one negative. Both are right. David Bergman March 25th 2021
Column Copyrighted - by the Bangladesh state? How Bangladesh government agencies are suspected of taking down websites and Youtube channels of dissident Bangladeshis abroad. David Bergman February 26th 2021
Column Why are Haris and Anis not behind bars? Has the Bangladesh government secretly remitted the sentences of two fugitive convicted murderers, the brothers of the country’s Chief of Army Staff? David Bergman February 15th 2021
Column The home minister and the murder convict Another picture emerges showing the unholy alliances in Bangladesh between criminals, police and politicians. David Bergman February 4th 2021
Column LSE, Sheikh Mujib and the Bangladesh government A British university’s collaboration with the Bangladesh government on a meeting about Sheikh Mujib raises important issues. David Bergman January 19th 2021
Column Election commotion The failure to address corruption allegations undermines the Bangladesh Election Commission’s credibility — and the president’s. Susannah Savage January 18th 2021
Column UK Labour Party’s Awami League problem How the Awami League helped Tulip Siddiq MP win the last UK election. David Bergman January 11th 2021
Column When survival is not enough Can the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party emerge as a credible opposition anytime soon? Kamal Ahmed January 7th 2021
Column How a pro-India "disinformation" group helped the Awami League government The Brussels-based South Asia Democratic Forum praised the controversial 2018 Bangladesh election as being “free and fair”. David Bergman December 24th 2020
Column Re-writing the history of Bangladesh's Padma Bridge criminal conspiracy The Daily Star stands against corruption, so why criticise the World Bank for its investigation into the alleged criminal conspiracy? David Bergman December 20th 2020
Column The Bashan Char confusion The stateless Rohingya differ on whether they should move to an island off the coast of Bangladesh. Susannah Savage December 17th 2020
Column The Rohingya relocation conundrum Is the relocation of the refugees to Bhashan Char a bad idea? Kamal Ahmed December 10th 2020
Column How the British spied on a pro-Bangladesh meeting in 1971 Undercover UK cop reveals to public inquiry he infiltrated a pro-Bangladesh humanitarian group in London. David Bergman December 8th 2020
Column Silencing science? Why the Bangladesh government dismissed crucial Covid-19 research undertaken by a leading global health research institute. David Bergman December 3rd 2020
Column Ruling immunity How those with links to Bangladesh’s ruling party escape accountability for sex crimes. Susannah Savage November 23rd 2020
Column Hefajat: All change? How concerned should the Awami League government be with the new Hefajat leadership? Kamal Ahmed November 19th 2020
Column Who gets investigated for corruption? How a marriage separation within Bangladesh prime minister’s family helps explain why Awami League leaders in Faridpur are now in jail. David Bergman November 19th 2020
Column Anti-France protests: Islamist muscle flexing Are the Islamists in Bangladesh going to replace the BNP as the main opposition? Kamal Ahmed November 12th 2020
Column Family succession: After Sheikh Hasina The Awami League is a family business — who in the family will succeed Sheikh Hasina? David Bergman October 8th 2020
Column General Sarwardy’s interview refocuses attention on the appointment of General Aziz Ahmed as army chief The Bangladesh government is likely to brand the retired military officer a criminal and traitor. David Bergman July 18th 2020
Column Bangladesh’s Covid-19 future is in the government’s hands The initial projections seem overblown, but whether they remain so depends on how the government deals with the lockdown. David Bergman May 22nd 2020
Column What is wrong with the FIR against the Facebook-11 The prosecution in Bangladesh of 11 individuals is not only a serious infringement of freedom of speech, but a travesty in the use of the criminal law. David Bergman May 15th 2020
Column A secret prisoner returns The recent disappearance and arrest of a Bangladesh photojournalist mirrors experiences of many other secretly detained men. David Bergman May 4th 2020
Column Is this Bangladesh’s most worrying Covid-19 statistic? Bangladesh’s closed case death rate is over 4 times that of India and 10 times higher than Sri Lanka — but how concerned should we be? David Bergman April 30th 2020
Column Imperial College: Sustained Bangladesh lockdown could reduce levels of death by up to 92% Study shows other mitigation strategies far less effective in Bangladesh. David Bergman April 24th 2020
Column Can we believe the officially reported number of Covid-19 deaths in Bangladesh? As the number of projected and officially reported deaths increasingly diverge, it is worth asking if politics is trumping a proper count. David Bergman April 14th 2020
Column Planning for the worst Bangladesh government’s “National Preparedness and Response Plan for Covid-19” obtained by Netra News — is the government following its own plan? David Bergman April 2nd 2020
Column Is Covid-19 virus infection in Bangladesh the deadliest in the world? A look at the abnormally high Covid-19 death rate in Bangladesh suggests that there are likely to be far more cases of infected people than the government admits. David Bergman March 26th 2020
Column A deal undone Is an influential pro-government businessman behind the recent troubles faced by bdnews24.com and its Editor-in-Chief Toufique Imrose Khalidi? David Bergman February 20th 2020
Column An election without voters The Dhaka City Corporation elections may have been relatively unrigged, but it was far from free or fair, and the government directly intervened to stop observers. David Bergman February 6th 2020
Column Censored justice When will the media in Bangladesh cover the ICSID decision on Niko corruption claims and how will the courts respond? David Bergman January 30th 2020
Column An opinion poll paradox Severe restrictions on freedom of expression in Bangladesh do not mean that the Awami League government is unpopular. David Bergman January 16th 2020
Column A general’s vendetta Did the alleged vendetta campaign of a Bangladeshi security czar against his erstwhile business partner result in the death of a retired army captain? David Bergman December 26th 2019