UN fact-finders asks for people to come forward with evidence of July, August rights violations
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A fact-finding team from the UN Human Rights Office has begun its investigation into human rights violations between July 1 and August 15 during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement’s protests and has called on anyone with knowledge of such incidents to submit their evidence.
The investigation team will interview the victims, law enforcement officials, medical professionals, and eyewitnesses to these incidents before publishing a detailed human rights report with recommendations, the UN said in a statement on Monday.
It said the UN team will conduct an independent and impartial investigation at the invitation of the interim government, bdnews24.com reports.
“Individuals, groups, and organizations are invited to provide first-hand information that is not already on social media or otherwise in the public domain concerning the period of 1 July to 15 August 2024 and human rights violations and abuses in the context of the protests during that period. Submissions should be sent to [email protected],” the statement said.
The mandate of the team is to “establish facts, identify responsibilities, analyze root causes, and make concrete recommendations for Bangladesh to address past human rights violations and prevent their recurrence”.
The statement reminded that the fact-finding is not a criminal investigation and is independent of the criminal justice process.
It also reiterated that the fact-finding process is strictly confidential and the team will not be conducting any media interviews during the investigation phase.
“After its on-site examination and data analysis, the UN Human Rights Office will publish a detailed human rights report containing key findings, conclusions, and recommendations,” the agency said.
A movement of students and job seekers demanding reforms to the quota system for government jobs became a movement to topple the government in early August after protesters, law enforcers, and supporters of the Awami League clashed.
Hundreds of people were killed in the violence.
There were many reports of unprovoked killings, mass arrests, torture in custody, and other human rights violations from mid-July to early August.
On August 5, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina resigned her premiership and fled to India in the face of the student-led mass movement.
Afterwards, there were also attacks on various police stations, Awami League offices, the homes and workplaces of its leaders and activists, and the houses, businesses, and places of worship of the Hindu community.