UN rights office estimates up to 1,400 killed in crackdown on protests in Bangladesh

By JAMEY KEATEN, Associated Press

GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. quality rights bureau connected Wednesday estimated that up to 1,400 radical whitethorn person been killed successful Bangladesh implicit 3 weeks past summertime successful a crackdown connected student-led protests against the now-ousted erstwhile prime minister.

In a caller report, the Geneva-based bureau says information and quality services “systematically engaged” successful rights violations that could magnitude to crimes against humanity and necessitate further investigation.

Citing “various credible sources,” the rights bureau said it estimated that arsenic galore arsenic 1,400 radical whitethorn person been killed successful the protests betwixt July 15 and Aug. 5 — the time longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India amid the uprising.

Thousands much were injured successful the weeks starring up to and aft the protests, and the immense bulk of those killed and injured “were changeable by Bangladesh’s information forces,” the study said.

Over 11,700 radical were detained, the study said, citing accusation from information services. It said that astir 12 to 13% of radical estimated to person beryllium killed —- oregon arsenic galore arsenic astir 180 radical — were children.

In immoderate cases, “security forces engaged successful summary executions by deliberately shooting unarmed protesters astatine constituent blank range,” it said.

U.N. quality rights main Volker Türk cited signs that “extrajudicial killings, extended arbitrary arrests and detentions, and torture” were conducted with the cognition and coordination of the governmental enactment and apical information officials arsenic a mode to suppress the protests.

The U.N. fact-finding squad was deployed to Bangladesh astatine the invitation of the country’s interim leader, the Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, to look into the uprising and convulsive crackdown.

The squad of investigators said the interim authorities has reportedly made 100 arrests successful transportation with attacks on spiritual and indigenous groups. The study said “many perpetrators of acts of revenge, unit and attacks connected chiseled groups seemingly proceed to bask impunity.”

The quality rights concern successful Bangladesh continues to rise concerns, the U.N. bureau said.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) Volker Turk (Tuerk), pauses arsenic helium speaks during a property league astir the work of UN Human Rights fact-finding study connected Bangladesh protests, astatine the European office of the United Nations, successful Geneva, Switzerland, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025. (Martial Trezzini/Keystone via AP)

While the authorities has changed, “the strategy has not needfully changed,” Rory Mungoven, caput of the rights office’s Asia-Pacific region, told reporters. “Many officials and radical who had served oregon been appointed nether the erstwhile authorities proceed to function,” helium said.

Such a concern creates “a imaginable struggle of interest” and could impede reforms and accountability, Mungoven added.

The investigators issued dozens of recommendations to the government, specified arsenic steps to amended the justness strategy and mounting up a witnesser extortion program. It besides recommended banning the usage of lethal firearms by information forces to disperse crowds unless they are faced with “imminent menace of decease oregon superior injury.”

In a connection aft the study was published, Yunus reiterated his government’s committedness to upholding the regularisation of instrumentality and said it was important to betterment the country’s instrumentality enforcement and justness sectors.

“I telephone connected everyone moving wrong these institutions to broadside with justice, the law, and the radical of Bangladesh successful holding to relationship their ain peers and others who person breached the instrumentality and violated the quality and civilian rights of their chap citizens,” helium said.

What began arsenic peaceful demonstrations by students frustrated with a quota strategy for authorities jobs unexpectedly grew into a major uprising against Hasina and her ruling Awami League party.

A High Court determination successful aboriginal June that reinstated the quota strategy was the “immediate trigger” to the protests, which were besides fueled by agelong lasting grievances astir economical inequality and a deficiency of rights, the study said.

AP writer Julhas Alam successful Dhaka contributed to the report.