A total of 650 people were killed and thousands injured during the student movement in Bangladesh between July 16 and August 11, reveals a preliminary report, published on Friday, from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
The report states that nearly 400 deaths occurred between July 16 and August 4, while around 250 people were reportedly killed in a renewed wave of protests on August 5 and 6.
The majority of these deaths and injuries have been attributed to actions by security forces and the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing affiliated with the then ruling Bangladesh Awami League (AL). Among those killed were protesters, bystanders, journalists covering the events, and several members of the security forces, according to the report.
The OHCHR report also suggests that the actual death toll may be higher than reported, as data collection has been hampered by a curfew, an internet shutdown, and state-imposed restrictions on movement. Additionally, hospitals were reportedly pressured by state authorities to withhold details about the deceased and injured.
There are serious and credible allegations that security forces responded to both the protests and subsequent violence with unnecessary and disproportionate force. According to reports, police and paramilitary forces frequently employed indiscriminate force against both peaceful demonstrators and those with elements of violence, including the use of rubber bullets, sound grenades, and live lethal ammunition, such as birdshot pellets and bullets.
Between July 12 and August 3, at least 4,50,000 unidentified individuals and 2,000 named persons were reportedly registered in 286 criminal cases in Dhaka alone. Many of those named in these cases are believed to be members of the opposition, the report states.
The government's imposition of communication restrictions, including an internet shutdown from July 18 to 23 and again on August 4 and 5, severely curtailed fundamental human rights. These restrictions impacted not only the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly but also broader economic, social, and cultural rights, according to the report.
“The overall impact of the unrest has been profound. Many families have been displaced due to the violence, with reports of homes raided and people forced to flee.”
United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday said the transition in Bangladesh was an historic opportunity to ensure governance is anchored in human rights, inclusivity and rule of law, stressing the need for accountability for all those responsible for human rights violations and violence.
“The transition ahead presents an historic opportunity to reform and revitalise the country’s institutions, to restore fundamental freedoms and civic space, and to give all in Bangladesh a part in building the future,” the high commissioner said, as the UNHR Office issued the report on the protests and unrest in the country in recent weeks.
“Accountability for violations and justice for the victims are key for the way forward, and will need to be accompanied by a national healing process,” Türk said.
Recommendations to interim govt
- Take steps to restore democratic order and rule of law through an inclusive and participatory process guided by human rights.
- Develop a systematic approach to vetting for any appointments to and dismissals from the judiciary, security sector and other institutions.
- Provide law enforcement agencies with clear instructions limiting the use of force, and especially firearms, in line with international human rights standards, ceasing any use of pellet guns, and, when use of force is absolutely necessary and proportionate, prioritising instead restrained use of 10 less-lethal weapons; emphasize a de-escalation approach to all public order management. Refrain from deploying Border Guards and Rapid Action Battalions to any protest or other public order management tasks and initiate a comprehensive review of these forces, their functions, command, control and accountability mechanisms and operational doctrines.
- Ensure that injured protesters, security forces, and bystanders promptly receive all necessary medical care. Facilitate unhindered access to medical treatment and support for all affected individuals.
- Facilitate peaceful protests without discrimination, while protecting public and private property from unlawful violence.
- Instruct law enforcement agencies and other government forces to protect populations at risk against any retaliatory or revenge violence, including minority communities, and diligently investigate any cases and prosecute identified perpetrators. Publish the number of arrests, and related charges in relation to the protests or any revenge violence and immediately inform and provide access to the families and legal counsel of those detained. Immediately release those arbitrarily detained and ensure all others are promptly brought before a court and afforded bail where possible. Ensure due process and legal representation for all detainees.
- Establish a comprehensive independent, impartial, and transparent investigation in line with international human rights standards into all recent cases involving serious injuries, deaths, or the use of firearms by security forces or other violent actors that can hold those responsible accountable. Ensure accountability for those who used or ordered the unnecessary and disproportionate use of force and provide reparation and effective remedies to victims.
- Protect all related evidence, including CCTV footage and other recordings, to ensure accountability and support for future investigations. Safeguard evidence to prevent tampering, damage or loss and take appropriate disciplinary and criminal action against anyone involved in such deleterious action.
- Consider establishing broader truth and accountability measures beyond investigation of the most recent events, with the assistance of international human rights mechanisms.
- Facilitate open dialogue to address social, economic, and political grievances, aiming for lasting solutions that serve the interests of all people in Bangladesh. Promote inclusive dialogue to enhance a participatory approach to decision-making.
- Allow media to operate freely and safely without intimidation or reprisals. Ensure access to information and freedom of the press.
- Guarantee non-recurrence by preventing further unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, arbitrary arrests, and enforced disappearances. Suspend security officials involved, including at the command level, pending a full, independent, and impartial investigation.
Recommendations to int’l community
- Support Bangladesh to ensure a transition in which human rights are fundamental.
- Support fact-finding and accountability efforts to ensure remedy for victims and broader institutional and security sector reforms.
- Support OHCHR in providing assistance to the interim government for the protection of human rights through the transition period.
Recommendations to all political actors
- Prioritise de-escalation and prevent any further loss of life or injury.
- Refrain from reprisals against political opponents of all viewpoints.
- Uphold the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
- Ensure protection of minority communities and refrain from any language or acts of incitement to hatred, discrimination or violence.
- Actively denounce any human rights violations or abuses, in particular, those committed by their own members or supporters, and advocate for measures to ensure accountability and prevent further violations and abuses.
- Ensure the transition is conducted in a transparent and accountable way that is inclusive and open to the meaningful participation of all Bangladeshis.
