Bangladesh: Writer and academic Nadira Yeasmin targeted for her support of women’s rights
Nadira Yeasmin. © Anonymous
“This courageous and necessary report shines a long-overdue light on the deep systemic inequalities women face in Bangladesh. The vicious campaign against Nadira Yeasmin is not only heartbreaking—it is a warning. Her voice rises in defence of women’s equality, and for that, she is punished. This is exactly why this reform work matters so urgently. We stand with Nadira, and we call on the government to do the same.” Judyth Hill, Chair of PEN International’s Women Writers’ Committee.
11 August 2025: The ongoing campaign of harassment and de facto suspension of writer and academic Nadira Yeasmin is deeply troubling, PEN International said. The organisation calls on the interim government to reinstate her full employment and to reaffirm its commitment to protect women’s right to freedom of expression.
In May 2025, a targeted campaign of harassment and intimidation intensified against Nadira Yeasmin, a writer, editor and former assistant professor at Narsingdi Government College’s Department of Bangla.
In addition to her academic background, Yeasmin is the founder of women’s rights organisation Nari Ongan and editor of Hisya, the organisation’s literary magazine. She is a committed advocate for gender equality and her organisation has welcomed the publication of the landmark draft report published in April 2025 by the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission, which was first established last year by the interim government with a mandate to propose reforms for the advancement of women’s rights and gender equality.
Included in the report’s findings are 433 recommendations calling for systemic reform of Bangladesh’s political and legal system. Among the wide-ranging recommendations are those to support the participation of women in media, calls for the repeal of laws that undermine freedom of expression, and the enactment of new legislation to prevent sexual harassment and gender-based violence in online media.
The report’s publication courted immediate controversy from religious conservatives, who view some of the recommendations, which include measures that address structural gender inequality, as being in contradiction with Islamic law. On 3 May, an influential coalition of Islamist organisations, referred to as the Hefazat-e-Islam (protectors of Islam), organised a large protest rally in Dhaka, calling for the dissolution of the Commission, among other demands.
Nadira Yeasmin, who has criticised the rally on social media, has since faced an intensified campaign against her by the Hefazat-e-Islam and other conservative groups. Among the acts undertaken against her, which included targeted online harassment and religious defamation, was the submission of an ultimatum to her college demanding her professional dismissal within 48 hours. On 26 May, a notice was issued by the Ministry of Education confirming Yeasmin’s transfer to Satkhira Government College, located over 250 kilometres away from her previous academic post, and her placement on Officers on Special Duty (OSD), which amounts to a de facto suspension by preventing her from continuing to teach or carry out other academic duties.
Despite public calls from civil society for the government to protect Nadira Yeasmin from harassment, the interim government has yet to reinstate her previous position or publicly address the ongoing campaign against her.
We call on the Bangladeshi government to reinstate Nadira Yeasmin’s academic role and to reaffirm its commitment to women’s rights by ensuring that Nadira Yeasmin and others expressing support for gender equality can do so in a safe environment without fear of persecution and harassment.
Note to editors:
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