A prominent human rights organization headquartered in Paris has issued a scathing rebuke against a Bangladeshi private university for ousting two faculty members on unproven blasphemy charges. Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) called the University of Asia Pacific’s (UAP) actions in Dhaka a blatant assault on scholarly independence and due process.
On January 18, UAP leadership bowed to demands from radical student groups and orchestrated crowds, firing Assistant Professor Layeka Bashir and Associate Professor ASM Mohsin from the Basic Sciences and Humanities Department. Notably, Mohsin was the department’s head. No fair hearing or completed probe preceded the move, despite an ongoing investigation into the claims.
‘This rushed dismissal under mob duress disregards constitutional protections, international human rights norms, and core tenets of fairness,’ JMBF declared. The group underscored the failure to allow the professors any chance to present their side, rendering the process fundamentally flawed.
JMBF’s chief advisor, French activist Robert John Paul Simon, painted a stark picture: ‘From social media backlash branding teachers as Islamophobes to mob incitement, threats, and administrative purge—this chain of events exposes how university bosses chose to placate violent agitators over safeguarding educator rights.’
The fallout reverberates through Bangladesh’s academic landscape, threatening expressive freedoms essential for innovation and debate. JMBF cautioned that such precedents could cow intellectuals into silence, hampering research and critical inquiry.
Urging swift corrective measures, the rights body called for reinstating the professors, establishing a credible independent probe panel adhering to global standards, and guaranteeing their protection. This controversy underscores mounting tensions between religious sensitivities and academic liberty in Bangladesh, drawing international scrutiny.