The United Nations Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has raised serious concerns regarding the actions of Bangladesh’s former government, suggesting that the crackdown on protests last summer may constitute crimes against humanity. Reports indicate that as many as 1,400 individuals lost their lives, primarily due to actions taken by the country’s security forces, during widespread demonstrations against corruption led by students.
Details of the protests and violent response
The protests began in early July and persisted until mid-August when Sheikh Hasina, the long-standing leader of Bangladesh, sought refuge in India. The OHCHR detailed in a report released on Wednesday that the security and intelligence services of Bangladesh systematically engaged in violations of human rights throughout the protests. It is estimated that the majority of the reported fatalities were due to gunfire from security forces, with alarming statistics indicating that around 13% of the deceased were children.
The report further described instances of egregious violence, including “summary executions by deliberately shooting unarmed protesters at point blank range.” An example cited was that of Abu Sayed, a student leader, who was reportedly shot multiple times during a protest at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur.
In addition to the fatalities, thousands suffered injuries, and over 11,700 individuals were detained amidst the turmoil. The police reported that 44 officers also lost their lives during the unrest.
International reaction and calls for accountability
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk condemned the state’s brutal tactics, labeling them “a calculated and well-coordinated strategy” by Hasina’s administration to maintain power. Türk emphasized that there are substantial grounds to believe that the political leadership was complicit in orchestrating extensive human rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture, as part of a broader effort to suppress dissent.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe hundreds of extrajudicial killings, extensive arbitrary arrests and detentions, and torture, were carried out with the knowledge, coordination and direction of the political leadership and senior security officials as part of a strategy to suppress the protests,”
Türk further stressed the critical need for accountability and justice to pave the way for a stable future in Bangladesh. The call for an investigation was initiated by Mohammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate currently leading the interim government of Bangladesh. Following the release of the UN’s findings, Yunus urged all state employees to ensure that those who acted unlawfully were held accountable.
However, there are concerns regarding the potential obstacles to reform, as many officials who served or were appointed under the previous regime remain in their positions. Rory Mungoven, head of OHCHR’s Asia-Pacific region, warned that these individuals could resist necessary changes.
Recent protests also escalated in Dhaka, where demonstrators targeted the ancestral home of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father, who proclaimed the nation’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. The protests were fueled by widespread discontent over Hasina’s recent speech in India, which was perceived as an attempt to bolster her political support back in Bangladesh.