Staff Reporter :
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, is set to present a highly anticipated fact-finding report on the human rights violations and abuses related to the protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh.
The report, compiled by an independent UN team, is expected to shed light on state-led suppression, protester detentions, and alleged retaliatory violence under the previous administration of Sheikh Hasina.
Türk will deliver the report during a live event from Geneva on Wednesday, March 5, at 6 p.m. Bangladesh time.
The session, streamed on YouTube, will bring together UN member states, civil society representatives, and Bangladesh’s interim government to discuss the report’s findings and recommendations.
The presentation is expected to focus on accountability, justice, and potential human rights reforms in Bangladesh, according to a UN official.
Speaking at the 58th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk expressed hope that the fact-finding
effort would aid in establishing truth, ensuring justice, and fostering healing and reform in Bangladesh.
He underscored the necessity of due process in criminal cases and impartial investigations into acts of revenge violence, including those targeting minority communities.
“Bangladesh last year experienced a paroxysm of violence as the government of the time brutally suppressed a student movement that carried human rights as its torch,” Türk said.
“The country is now charting a new future, and this report serves as an important contribution to that journey.”
The protests of mid-2024, which began as student-led demonstrations, quickly escalated into a broader movement against Sheikh Hasina’s administration, culminating in widespread unrest.
The government’s response was marked by mass arrests, reported cases of enforced disappearances, and allegations of security forces employing excessive force.
International human rights organizations had previously condemned the violent crackdown, citing instances of arbitrary detentions and suppression of dissent.
UN Resident Coordinator in Dhaka, Gwyn Lewis, informed Bangladesh’s interim Chief Adviser, Dr. Muhammad Yunus, that Türk’s presentation at the Human Rights Council will address these findings in detail.
Yunus emphasized the importance of thoroughly documenting the “atrocities” committed during Hasina’s tenure, particularly in the final months before her removal from office.
The report’s findings are likely to add further international scrutiny to Bangladesh’s human rights record, with potential diplomatic repercussions.
Analysts suggest that the revelations could influence future engagements between the interim government and global institutions, including the UN, as the country navigates its political transition.
The UN’s discussion will also explore policy recommendations to prevent future human rights abuses in Bangladesh, reinforcing the global call for accountability and reform in the nation’s governance structures.
