The interim government on Thursday said the USCIRF's (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom) report on the religious freedom situation in Bangladesh is based on misinformation and selective reporting.
"It is simply not true that the interim government of Bangladesh is responsible for the violence alleged in the USCIRF report," the statement, shared by Chief Adviser's Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam, reads.
* The interim government refutes claims of involvement in religious
violence and emphasises the peaceful conditions for minorities.
*
Police investigations reveal no evidence linking the government to
religiously motivated incidents, with most cases tied to personal or
socio-economic disputes.
* The USCIRF report is criticised for propagating an inaccurate narrative, overlooking the government's protective efforts.
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The statement underlines that political unrest, not religious
persecution, is the key context behind recent incidents in Bangladesh.
"The interim government is not responsible for the violence alleged, and the police investigations show that the incidents cited are unrelated to religious hatred," said the Chief Adviser's Press Wing.
The USCIRF released its 2025 Annual Report on Tuesday, documenting religious freedom conditions in 2024 and recommending policy to the White House, Congress, and State Department to advance freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) abroad. Congress mandated the USCIRF's annual report in the International Religious Freedom Act (IRFA) of 1998. The assertion that the violence occurred following the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is misleading and lacks solid evidence, it says.
Despite the challenges faced during this period, the interim government expressed a clear commitment to protecting all minority communities, reads the statement. This stance was evident in their public statements and efforts to mitigate any harm to vulnerable groups, it mentioned.
"However, the USCIRF report omits these positive steps and instead focuses on a narrative of worsening religious freedom, which does not align with the actual situation on the ground," the statement reads.
