European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Bangladesh Country Overview December 2017 SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION European Asylum Support Office EASO Country of Origin Information Report Bangladesh Country Overview December 2017 Europe Direct is a service to help you find answers to your questions about the European Union. Freephone number (*): 00 800 6 7 8 9 10 11 (*) Certain mobile telephone operators do not allow access to 00800 numbers or these calls may be billed. More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). Print ISBN 978-92-9494-830-4 doi: 10.2847/19533 BZ-07-17-148-EN-C PDF ISBN 978-92-9494-829-8 doi: 10.2847/34007 BZ-07-17-148-EN-N © European Asylum Support Office 2017 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, unless otherwise stated. For third-party materials reproduced in this publication, reference is made to the copyrights statements of the respective third parties. Cover photo: © International Food Policy Research Institute, A Crowded Market in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 6 May 2010 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/ifpri/4860343116). Neither EASO nor any person acting on its behalf may be held responsible for the use which may be made of the information contained herein. EASO COI EEPORT BANGLADESH: COUNTRY OVERVIEW — 3 Acknowledgements EASO would like to acknowledge the following national asylum and migration departments as the drafters of this report: Bulgaria, State Agency for Refugees (SAR), COI Unit; Italy, National Commission for the Right of Asylum International and EU Affairs, COI unit; United Kingdom, Home Office, Country Policy & Information Team. The following departments reviewed this report, together with EASO: Czech Republic, Department for Asylum and Migration Policy, International and European Affairs Unit; Norway, Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre, Landinfo; Slovenia, Migration Office, International Protection Proceedings Division; Slovak Republic, Migration Office, Department of Documentation and Foreign Cooperation. 4 — EASO COI REPORT BANGLADESH: COUNTRY OVERVIEW EASO COI EEPORT BANGLADESH: COUNTRY OVERVIEW — 5 Table of Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................3 Table of Contents ...................................................................................................................................5 Disclaimer ............................................................................................................................................ 11 Glossary and Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. 12 Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 15 Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 15 Structure of the report .................................................................................................................... 15 Map of Bangladesh .............................................................................................................................. 17 Other maps of Bangladesh .............................................................................................................. 18 1. General country information ........................................................................................................... 19 1.1 Geography .......................................................................................................................... 19 1.1.1 Location ......................................................................................................................... 19 1.1.2 Administrative divisions ................................................................................................. 19 1.1.3 Climate ........................................................................................................................... 19 1.1.4 Natural disasters: floods and cyclones .......................................................................... 19 1.2 Demographics .................................................................................................................... 21 1.2.1 Population ...................................................................................................................... 21 1.2.2 Languages ...................................................................................................................... 22 1.2.3 Religion .......................................................................................................................... 22 1.2.4 Education and Literacy .................................................................................................. 22 1.3 Economy ............................................................................................................................. 23 1.3.1 Overview ........................................................................................................................ 23 1.3.2 Currency ......................................................................................................................... 23 2. State structures and political system.......................................................................................... 23 2.1 The Constitution ................................................................................................................. 23 2.2 Parliament (legislature) ...................................................................................................... 24 2.3 The Prime Minister ............................................................................................................. 25 2.4 The President ..................................................................................................................... 25 2.5 Elections ............................................................................................................................. 25 2.5.1 Electoral Commission .................................................................................................... 25 2.5.2 Caretaker Government .................................................................................................. 26 3. Political parties ........................................................................................................................... 26 3.1 The main political parties and alliances ............................................................................. 27 3.1.1 The Bangladesh Awami League (AL) .............................................................................. 27 6 — EASO COI REPORT BANGLADESH: COUNTRY OVERVIEW 3.1.2 Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) ............................................................................... 28 3.2 The 2014 General Election ................................................................................................. 29 3.3 Violence between the supporters of different political parties (inter-party violence) .......................................................................................................... 29 3.3.1 Violence before and during the 2014 General Election ................................................ 29 3.3.2 Ongoing violence ........................................................................................................... 30 3.4 Violence between factions of the same party (intra-party violence) ................................ 30 4. The Judiciary and informal justice systems ................................................................................ 31 4.1 Structure of the courts ....................................................................................................... 32 4.2 Independence and effectiveness ....................................................................................... 33 4.3 Fair trial .............................................................................................................................. 34 4.4 Trial in absentia .................................................................................................................. 34 4.5 Bail ...................................................................................................................................... 35 4.6 Corruption in the Judiciary ................................................................................................. 35 4.7 Village courts and shalish ................................................................................................... 35 5. Criminal law (references) ............................................................................................................ 36 5.1 The Penal Code (Act number XLV of 1860) ....................................................................... 36 5.2 The Code of Criminal Procedure (Act number V of 1898) ................................................ 36 5.3 Acts of Parliament .............................................................................................................. 36 6. Police and security forces ........................................................................................................... 36 6.1 Functioning of the police in response to common crimes ................................................