Bangladesh Ordinance Shields July Protesters, Police and Minority Killings Unpunished

• Bangladesh's interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has issued an ordinance granting immunity to participants in the July–August protests, preventing charges against them.
• The July Uprising (Protection and Liability Determination) Ordinance, 2026, ensures withdrawal of existing cases and bars new filings against protesters, as reported by UNB.
• Critics fear the ordinance could allow perpetrators of killings of police personnel, Hindu minorities, and Awami League activists to escape accountability, including Islamist and radical elements.
• Legal experts question the ordinance's constitutionality, but observers suggest it may withstand scrutiny due to an increasingly pliant legal system.
• The unrest, initially a quota reform agitation, escalated into a broader movement against Sheikh Hasina's government, leading to violence, police killings, and targeted attacks on minorities.

Why It Matters: Bangladesh's new ordinance grants immunity to July protesters, raising concerns about unpunished killings of police and minorities.