Bangladesh’s Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed announced that approval has been granted to withdraw 1,006 politically motivated cases filed against opposition leaders and activists over the past 17 years. The decision was disclosed in a press release issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Sunday, February 22, 2026.

Earlier, on February 8, the interim government had withdrawn nearly 24,000 similar cases, following recommendations to drop 23,865 cases filed during the previous administration’s tenure. These cases had targeted members of various political parties, including BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Hefazat-e-Islam, and Gano Adhikar Parishad, reportedly affecting around half a million people.

The interim government had formed a district-level committee led by deputy commissioners and an inter-ministerial committee headed by Law Ministry adviser Asif Nazrul on September 22, 2024, to review petitions from political parties. The law ministry stated that the review process remains ongoing.