The U.N. human rights office has released a report estimating that up to 1,400 people were killed in Bangladesh over a three-week period last summer during a crackdown on student-led protests against the former prime minister. The report suggests that security and intelligence services were involved in rights violations that could potentially amount to crimes against humanity, warranting further investigation.
According to the report, between July 15 and Aug. 5, as many as 1,400 individuals may have lost their lives in the protests, with thousands more sustaining injuries. The majority of casualties were attributed to being shot by Bangladesh's security forces. Additionally, over 11,700 people were detained, with around 12 to 13% of those killed being children.
The report highlights instances of security forces engaging in summary executions by shooting unarmed protesters at close range. It also suggests that extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture were carried out with the knowledge and coordination of political leadership and top security officials to suppress the protests.
A U.N. fact-finding team was deployed to Bangladesh at the invitation of the country's interim leader to investigate the uprising and violent crackdown. The team noted that despite some arrests made in connection with attacks on religious and indigenous groups, many perpetrators continue to enjoy impunity.
The report raises concerns about the human rights situation in Bangladesh, emphasizing that while the government has changed, the underlying system remains largely unchanged. This continuity poses challenges to implementing reforms and ensuring accountability.
The investigators have put forth several recommendations to the government, including improving the justice system, establishing a witness protection program, and restricting the use of lethal firearms by security forces unless faced with an imminent threat of death or serious injury.
What initially began as peaceful demonstrations by students protesting a government job quota system escalated into a broader uprising against the former prime minister and her ruling party. The report identifies a High Court decision in early June reinstating the quota system as the immediate trigger for the protests, which were fueled by longstanding grievances related to economic inequality and lack of rights.
