Bangladesh

There are currently more than 2,500 people under sentence of death in Bangladesh. Existing research has confirmed what is widely accepted by civil society and justice system actors in the country: that the system routinely violates the rights of individuals to a fair trial, that forced confessions are relied on as evidence in capital cases, that wrongful convictions can and do occur and that the experience of solitary confinement on death row brings about intense and long-lasting psychological, social and emotional damage.

In August 2024, Bangladesh’s embattled prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, resigned and fled the country after weeks of youth-led anti-government protests that had resulted in swathes of arrests, deaths and enforced disappearances. An army-backed interim government was swiftly instated, and elections held in early 2026.

The current climate, though steeped in uncertainty, is emerging as a critical moment for generating momentum for judicial reform, including discussions about the future of the death penalty in Bangladesh.

Before our work officially began in Bangladesh in 2016, DPP followed the case of BLAST (and others) v Attorney General of Bangladesh, which led to the mandatory death penalty being abolished. The main petitioner, Shukur Ali, was 14 years old when he was sentenced to death. However, the death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.  

We had our first consultations in Dhaka in 2016 with BLAST, BILIA and Dr Mahbubur Rahman, considering the abolition of the mandatory death penalty. With funding from the Swiss FDFA and UK FCO, DPP embarked on a two-year programme of training and research work. In 2017, DPP and BLAST coordinated to host a training with lawyers and a judicial colloquium with the Judicial Administration Training Institute on sentencing and mental health issues in capital cases. Both the training workshop and the the aim was to promote further restriction of the death penalty. 

In 2019, DPP commissioned the Department of Law in The University of Dhaka to conduct a pilot study on the socio-economic profiles of people on death row, who worked with BLAST on the data collection The study was based on 50 prisoners on death row in Bangladesh and sought to obtain accurate data on their socio-economic profiles, including in relation to their mental health, access to legal representation, and economic, social, and religious backgrounds. The report was launched in 2021, and DPP continued to work with BLAST on the issues of Mental Health, Sentencing and the Death Penalty through training and events. Together in 2023, we provided a workshop for mental health professionals and legal professionals with a focus on mental health and sentencing, and the importance of mental health professionals being engaged in serious criminal cases, especially at the sentencing stage. 

In 2025, our work in Bangladesh widened in response to its dynamic political landscape. On two visits to Dhaka, we collaborated with our partners to engage with parliamentarians, lawyers, members of the judiciary, civil society organisations, members of the international community, student activists and artists. This has included building a new partnership with renowned documentarian and anthropologist Mosfiqur Rahman Johan, who has been documenting stories of people who had been wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death in Bangladesh. In December 2025, we held an exhibition at Whitechapel gallery in London to showcase seven of these important stories.

Following the elections in early 2026, we continue to work closely with key partners, civil society organisations and stakeholders to initiate and inform much-needed conversations with the new government to advocate for the abolition of the death penalty in Bangladesh.

We also continue to explore opportunities to deliver practical training for judges, lawyers, forensic psychiatrists and anyone involved in the sentencing and legal process of capital punishment cases to improve procedural safeguards, and assist legal professionals working to uphold the rights of people living on death row.