Amnetsy International urges Bangladesh to end use of force against opposition

Amnesty International has called on Bangladesh authorities to end the use of excessive force against protesters.

The UK-based human rights organisation made the request in a report published on its website Friday.

According to the report, The Bangladesh National Party‘s (BNP’s) July 28 and 29 protests, which called for a caretaker government to be appointed before the elections in January 2024, ended with violent clashes with the police.

“The videos and images that Amnesty International has verified shed light on the human rights violations by the Bangladeshi authorities. We call on the Government of Bangladesh to guarantee strict adherence to the law by the law enforcement agencies, as well as full respect for the people’s right to exercise their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, in order to avoid further harm to people’s physical integrity and possible escalation of this crisis,” said Smriti Singh, interim Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty International.

According to the information available on Amnesty’s website, the organisation’s researchers and Crisis Evidence Lab reviewed 56 photos and 18 videos from the protests, and also collected nine eyewitness testimonies to corroborate the findings.