Bangladesh Chief Advisor Signals Human Rights Violations Before February 12th Elections.

Dhaka; January 2026: Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor of the Interim Government, on Tuesday sought support from the United Nations human rights office to counter a surge of misinformation targeting the February 12 elections.

The X account of the Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh flagged the flooding of misinformation surrounding the elections. “There has been a flood of misinformation surrounding the elections. It is coming from both foreign media and local sources”, Yunus said during a phone conversation with Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The X handle reads:

Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh

@ChiefAdviserGoB

UN rights chief offers support to combat election misinformation.

DHAKA, January 13: Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday sought support from the United Nations human rights office to counter a surge of misinformation targeting the February 12 elections.

“There has been a flood of misinformation surrounding the elections. It is coming from both foreign media and local sources,” Professor Yunus said during a phone conversation with Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

“They have flooded social media with fake news, rumours and speculation. We are concerned about the impact this may have on the elections,” the Chief Adviser added.

High Commissioner Türk said he was aware of the problem and offered the support of the UN human rights office to address what he described as a growing misinformation challenge.

“There is a lot of misinformation. We will do whatever is needed,” Türk said, adding that the UN rights agency would work closely with Bangladesh to tackle the issue.

During the conversation, the two leaders also discussed the upcoming referendum, the importance of institutional reforms, the work of the Enforced Disappearance Commission, the formation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and the global geopolitical situation.

High Commissioner Türk stressed the importance of establishing “a truly independent” National Human Rights Commission to carry forward the work related to enforced disappearances.

In response, Professor Yunus said the NHRC ordinance has already been promulgated and that a new commission would be reconstituted ahead of the February 12 elections. “We will do it before we leave,” he said.

The Chief Adviser said he had shared the final report of the Enforced Disappearance Commission with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, describing it as a crucial document that would go a long way toward ensuring accountability and justice for the victims of enforced disappearances during the autocratic regime from 2009 to 2024.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk praised the Chief Adviser’s efforts over the past year and a half. He said his office had supported the work of the Enforced Disappearance Commission and would continue to do so.

SDG Coordinator and Senior Secretary Lamiya Morshed was present during the conversation.

“They have flooded social media with fake news, rumours and speculation. We are concerned about the impact this may have on the elections,” the Chief Adviser added. High Commissioner Turk said he was aware of the problem and offered the support of the UN human rights office to address what he described as a growing misinformation challenge, as per the X post.

“There is a lot of misinformation. We will do whatever is needed”, Turk said, adding that the UN rights agency would work closely with Bangladesh to tackle the issue. During the conversation, the two leaders also discussed the upcoming referendum, the importance of institutional reforms, the work of the Enforced Disappearance Commission, the formation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and the global geopolitical situation.

High Commissioner Turk stressed the importance of establishing “a truly independent” National Human Rights Commission to carry forward the work related to enforced disappearances.

In response, Yunus said the NHRC ordinance has already been promulgated and that a new commission would be reconstituted ahead of the February 12 elections. “We will do it before we leave”, he said.

The Chief Adviser said he had shared the final report of the Enforced Disappearance Commission with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, describing it as a crucial document that would go a long way toward ensuring accountability and justice for the victims of enforced disappearances during the autocratic regime from 2009 to 2024.

Team Maverick.