Admit UN report as historic record: HC

Staff Reporter :

The High Court has directed the government to officially recognise the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) fact-finding report on the July Uprising as a historic document.

A bench comprising Justice Fahmida Kader and Justice Mubina Asaf passed the order on Thursday, instructing the Cabinet Secretary and concerned authorities to issue a gazette notification within three months, formally identifying the report as the “July Revolution 2024.” The court also ruled the matter to be of continuing nature.

The directive came in response to a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Md Tanvir Ahmed.
Earlier, the court had issued a rule asking why the OHCHR report, which documented grave human rights violations during the July Uprising, should not be declared a historic record and preserved for future generations.

“Today the court has disposed of that rule and directed the government to recognise the report,” petitioner Tanvir told reporters after the verdict.

Tanvir had filed the writ on 13 August last year, after which the High Court issued the initial rule on 15 August.

The OHCHR fact-finding mission investigated alleged human rights abuses in Bangladesh between 1 July and 15 August 2024.

The team interviewed injured victims, protestors, and other witnesses, publishing its findings in February this year.