'There is no reason not to accept OHCHR assistance'

This is an interview published in The Daily Star (Bangladesh) on August 5, 2026, featuring Sara Hossain, a senior Supreme Court advocate and honorary executive director of BLAST, discussing the role of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Bangladesh. Hossain argues that Bangladesh's accountability institutions have become severely dysfunctional, making OHCHR assistance both necessary and logical during the country's critical transitional period following the ouster of the Awami League government. She emphasizes that the OHCHR mission should supplement — not replace — existing institutions, helping with capacity-building, transitional justice, police and judicial reform, and documenting human rights violations from the July-August 2024 mass killings. While acknowledging some legal progress under the interim government — such as repealing the Digital Security Act and establishing reform commissions — Hossain warns that concerning practices persist, particularly arbitrary arrests, bail denials in politically sensitive cases, and a justice system not yet fully independent from political pressure.

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The Daily Star

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The Daily Star

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Rights retained by the original publisher. Archived as a preservation copy for public research, with attribution and a link to the original.

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ark:/19160/suhwgxgjierchxgzy6y26wappue

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