Paris, Jan 21
A leading international human rights organisation strongly condemned the dismissal of two teachers from a private university in Bangladesh over blasphemy allegations, calling the incident a dangerous precedent for academic freedom in the South Asian nation.
The teachers dismissed by the authorities of the University of Asia Pacific (UAP) in Dhaka on January 18 were Assistant Professor Layeka Bashir and Associate Professor ASM Mohsin, both from the Department of Basic Sciences and Humanities, with Mohsin serving as its head.
Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF), a Paris-based human rights organisation, stated that the dismissal of two teachers on charges of “blasphemy,” under pressure from extremist students’ protests and organised mobs, without completing a transparent investigation and without providing the accused teachers an opportunity to defend themselves was carried out without due process. It added that such actions constituted a clear violation of the Constitution of Bangladesh, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the fundamental principles of justice, and academic freedom.
Expressing concern, the rights body stated that the decision to arbitrarily terminate the teachers’ employment was taken while an investigation committee was still working on the so-called blasphemy allegations. Moreover, it said, the accused teachers were denied the opportunity to present their defense, and due legal procedures were not followed.
“Labeling teachers as ‘Islamophobic’ for expressing personal opinions on social media, mobilizing mobs against them, issuing threats, and ultimately forcing their dismissal through administrative decisions sets a terrifying precedent. It clearly demonstrates that the university authorities have chosen to appease organized violence rather than protect the safety and rights of their teachers,” said JMBF’s Chief Advisor, renowned French human rights activist Robert John Paul Simon.
The JMBF asserted that this incident represents not only an injustice against two teachers but also a dangerous precedent for Bangladesh’s education system and freedom of expression.
“If teachers can be removed under mob pressure in this manner, academics will no longer be able to think freely, conduct research, or express their views openly in the future,” it noted.
The rights body demanded that the decision to dismiss the two teachers be immediately suspended and revoked. Additionally, it called for the immediate formation of an international-standard, independent, impartial, and transparent investigation commission, while ensuring the safety and dignity of the accused teachers.
Asserting that justice cannot be determined by the will of a mob, the JMBF said, “unless this practice of using religion as a political weapon to suppress dissent is resisted”, across Bangladesh, "it will further deepen violence, division, and a culture of fear in society”.
