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Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh strongly opposed the establishment of a United Nations Human Rights Office mission in Dhaka, staging a protest on Friday at the north gate of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque after Juma prayers. The organization’s Joint Secretary General and Dhaka Metropolitan Secretary, Maulana Mamunul Haque, declared that allowing such an office would be tantamount to granting immunity to perpetrators of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and murders over the past 16 years, which he described as an injustice to the people. “No one has given the government the right to dig a canal and bring in crocodiles,” he said, emphasizing that they would not permit the UN Human Rights Office to be established in Dhaka.Addressing the protest rally, Mamunul Haque warned that if the interim government does not immediately reverse its decision to approve the UN Human Rights Office, Hefazat-e-Islam would be forced to call for nationwide protests. He criticized the interim government, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, for taking decisions that contradict public aspirations and the fundamental spirit of independence. “The so-called UN human rights agenda is a tool of Western ideologies that are against Islam and humanity,” he stated, adding that the government has no authority to make decisions that disregard public opinion. The rally saw participation from other Hefazat leaders, including Maulana Abdur Rab Yusufi, Maulana Muhiuddin Rabbani, Maulana Ahmad Ali Kasemi, Maulana Junaid Al Habib, Maulana Azizul Haq Islamabadi, Maulana Jalaluddin, Maulana Manzurul Islam Afendi, Mufti Munir Hussain Kasemi, Maulana Azharul Islam, Maulana Rashed Bin Noor, Maulana Enamul Haq Musa, Mufti Sharifullah, Maulana Ferdausur Rahman, Maulana Ehsanul Haq, Maulana Imranul Bari Siraji, Maulana Jobayer Rashid, and Maulana Ehteshamul Haq Saki. **Three Demands** The speakers at the rally condemned the decision to establish the UN Human Rights Office in Dhaka, labeling it as interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs and a direct threat to national sovereignty. They argued that allowing foreign organizations like the UN to intervene in human rights issues violates the country’s constitution and sovereignty. They further stated that such an office could pose a long-term threat to Islamic values, social stability, and national security. Hefazat leaders emphasized that Bangladesh is a sovereign nation and will not tolerate foreign interference in its internal matters. They vowed to build public opinion against this “conspiracy” and, if necessary, announce larger protest programs. The rally put forward three demands: immediate cancellation of the decision to establish the UN Human Rights Office in Dhaka, empowering independent institutions to review the country’s human rights situation, and ensuring impartial investigations and exemplary punishment for those responsible for extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
