Tuesday, 22 Sep 2026
International May 24, 2026

German Parliament’s Public Statement on Situation of Bawm Community and CHT Accord

Hill Voice, 23 May 2026, International Desk: It is learnt that on 20 May 2026 German Parliament discussed on Bawm Indigenous people and human rights issues in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) and CHT Accord and made a public statement.

It is learnt from a report published on www.bundestag.de that on Wednesday (20 May) the Bundestag’s Committee on Human Rights discussed the situation of the Bawm, an Indigenous ethnic minority living in the CHT region of southeastern Bangladesh. According to the German Federal Foreign Office, the Bawm are one of Bangladesh’s 54 Indigenous groups- face social discrimination, limited access to education, the growing loss of their traditional lands and living spaces.

The report mentions that a representative of the Federal Foreign Office explained that the CHT has experienced long-standing tensions since Bangladesh’s independence in 1971, involving Indigenous communities, Bengali settlers, state security forces, and various armed groups. The 1997 CHT Peace Accord, which was signed between the Bangladesh state and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) to end decades of armed conflict, yet to be fully implemented.

The report also states that according to the Federal foreign office official, the key provisions of the Accord remain unresolved and unimplemented, including regional self-governance of the Indigenous Peoples, rehabilitation of the returnee refugees and internally displaced Indigenous Peoples, and land-related disputes. According to the Federal Foreign Office representative, Bangladesh recently accepted Denmark’s recommendations to prepare a time-bound action plan for the full implementation of the agreement (at the last UPR session). However, Germany’s recommendation that Bangladesh recognize the identity and rights of Indigenous Peoples, was only noted by the Bangladeshi Government.

The report also noted that at present 59 Bawm people, including three minors, reportedly remain in detention without trial. Amnesty International has also reported three deaths in custody since 2024.

It is also said in the report that human rights organizations further alleged that the Bangladeshi security forces has instrumentalized armed groups in the CHT and supported Bengali settlers in their actions against Indigenous communities. Many Indigenous people have been forced to flee their villages, and some had left the country altogether.

The Left Party parliamentary group, which had requested the briefing on the situation of the Bawm, asked what concrete steps the German Federal Government was taking to secure the release of those detained.