TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
UN to send mission to Bangladesh to probe human rights violations
Last month's anti-government protests, which began as a student-led movement against public sector job quotas, escalated into the deadliest violence since the country's independence in 1971.
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A pedestrian crosses a road near smoking objects during a protest demanding the stepping down of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following quota reform protests by students in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Aug. 4, 2024. (Reuters/Mohammad Ponir Hossain)
T
he United Nations Human Rights Office on Friday said it will dispatch a fact-finding mission to Bangladesh, as requested by the interim government, to investigate alleged human rights violations during recent deadly violence in the country.
Last month's anti-government protests, which began as a student-led movement against public sector job quotas, escalated into the deadliest violence since the country's independence in 1971.
The unrest left more than 1,000 people dead and prompted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India on Aug. 5. Violence continued for some days after she fled.
An interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus replaced Hasina's administration, helping quell the violence as security forces also cracked down on protests.
"The office will deploy a fact-finding team to Bangladesh in the coming weeks, with a view to reporting on violations and abuses perpetrated during the protests, analysing root causes, and making recommendations to advance justice and accountability and for longer-term reforms," Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, said in a statement.
This decision follows a visit by a UN team from Aug. 22 to 29, during which they engaged with various stakeholders, including members of the interim government.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk welcomed Bangladesh’s recent accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and praised the establishment of a national commission to investigate cases of enforced disappearances, a longstanding issue in Bangladesh.
"We stand ready to support the Commission in its work, which should be in close consultation with victims and their families," Shamdasani said.
