UN to support BD to protect human rights

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Staff Reporter :

The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office is committed to supporting the interim government and people of Bangladesh in a successful transition that strengthens the protection of human rights.

The Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Farhan Haq, came up with the statement during a regular briefing at the UN Headquarters on Friday local time.

He further said that a team from the UN Human Rights Office would visit Bangladesh next week to investigate the atrocities that happened in Bangladesh during the student movement.

“A team will visit Dhaka next week to discuss areas of support and the modalities for an investigation of human rights violations in the context of the recent violence and unrest, Farhan Haq said.

He further said that Volker Turk and the country’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus, discussed a comprehensive range of support that the UN Human Rights Office could provide to the interim government and the transition, including on accountability issues.

“The High Commissioner is very committed to supporting the Interim Government and people of Bangladesh in a successful transition that strengthens the protection of human rights,” he added. Meanwhile, before the arrival of the UN Human Rights team in Bangladesh, the rights body unveiled a report on Friday in which it mentioned that at least 600 people were killed during the protests, which led to the resignation of Sheikh Hasina on August 5 and was replaced by a civilian interim government to oversee a transition to fresh elections.

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This report, prepared by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, provides a preliminary overview of key human rights violations and concerns observed in connection with recent events in Bangladesh.

The report makes a number of recommendations for the Interim Government to ensure accountability for those responsible for human rights violations, in line with Bangladesh’s international human rights obligations, and the right of victims to effective remedies.

It also makes recommendations to the international community. These recommendations are designed to de-escalate tensions, prevent recurrence through the security sector and other priority reforms, and ensure a democratic, peaceful, and inclusive transition in line with human rights principles.

There are serious and credible allegations that the security forces responded overall to both protests and subsequent violence with unnecessary and disproportionate force.

The police and paramilitary forces appear to have frequently used force indiscriminately against both peaceful protests as well as those with elements of violence, employing rubber bullets, sound grenades, and firearms with live lethal ammunition, including birdshot pellets and bullets.

Considering that certain individuals among the protesters were seen typically using sticks, bricks, or similar types of makeshift weapons, the security forces recurring and persistent use of firearms, including pellet shotguns, handguns, and rifles, would have regularly involved unnecessary and disproportionate force. Reports indicate that security forces also used helicopters to fire on protesters, further intensifying the violence.

In some cases, the security forces were reported to have employed vehicles and helicopters that bore the logo of the United Nations and appeared intended for use by Bangladeshi contingents in United Nations peacekeeping missions.

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