NN Online:
Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul has reaffirmed the interim government’s commitment to conducting an impartial and credible investigation into the July-August massacre in Bangladesh, ensuring that due judicial processes are followed for justice.
“The OHCHR Fact Finding Team report and the evidence collected and analysed for the report would be pivotal for the ongoing accountability and judicial processes in Bangladesh to ensure justice,” he said while addressing a session titled “OHCHR Fact-Finding Report on Human Rights Violations and Abuses Related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh: Charting the Path Forward” as a panelist at the Palais des Nations in Geneva on March 5, an official release received on Thursday.
The event was organised by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as a part of the ongoing 58th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk also participated in the event and made a presentation on the OHCHR Fact-Finding Report released on February 12.
In his panel remarks, the law adviser appreciated High Commissioner Turk for commissioning the mandate of the OHCHR Fact Finding Team by undertaking a comprehensive, independent investigation of the July-August mass uprising. He also shared the interim government’s various reform initiatives.
High Commissioner Turk, in his presentation, said former government officials, members of the security and intelligence apparatus and violent elements associated with the former ruling party had committed serious, organized and systemic human rights violations in July-August 2024.
He mentioned that OHCHR has reasonable grounds to believe that certain crimes committed in July-August constituted crimes against humanity. He assured Bangladesh of OHCHR’s continued cooperation and support in ensuring accountability, truth-telling and national healing through its enhanced presence in Bangladesh.
From the Bangladesh side, Mir Mahmudur Rahman, brother of the July uprising martyr Mugdha, spoke at the panel recounting the painful experience from the victim’s family; while Farzana Sharmin Emu, a civil society representative working to support the injured, also spoke sharing the story of the injured.
The panel ended with a question-and-answer session where Law Adviser Dr Asif Nazrul and High Commissioner Turk responded to the questions raised from the floor.
Well-attended by Geneva-based diplomats and international civil society representatives, one highlight of the panel discussion was the screening of a forensic video on Jatrabari atrocities during the mass uprising.
Later, the law adviser met High Commissioner Turk in a bilateral meeting. They discussed the future modalities of engagement of OHCHR in the national accountability process pertaining to the atrocities and crimes committed in July-August.
Information and Broadcasting Adviser Md Mahfuj Alam, Bangladesh Permanent Representative and Sanjida Islam Tuli of Maayer Dak were present during the panel as well as at the bilateral meeting.
