Senior officials and legal groups in Bangladesh have accused judges appointed during Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule of aiding political repression and violating human rights. Following Hasina’s fall and flight after the July uprising, police and administrative officers faced accountability, but no action has been taken against the judges allegedly involved. The Bangladesh Administrative Association and Police Service Association questioned the judges’ “informal immunity,” while the Nationalist Lawyers Forum claimed that thousands were victims of extrajudicial killings and disappearances under Hasina’s regime.

Lawyers and ministry officials alleged that many judges were politically aligned with the Awami League and participated in politically motivated trials, including those against opposition leaders Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, and Zubaida Rahman. Reports described late-night hearings and verdicts delivered by candlelight to ensure convictions before the 2024 election. The Law Minister, Advocate Asaduzzaman, acknowledged judicial failures and supported punishing judges who backed Hasina’s “fascism.”

According to ministry data, 1,841 of 2,185 lower court judges were appointed during the Awami League era, raising concerns about politicized recruitment and the erosion of judicial neutrality.