UN Deploys Experts to Investigate Bangladesh Human Rights Violations

A team of UN experts will arrive in Dhaka to establish a framework for investigating the killing of at least 650 protesters following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. The UN team will assess human rights violations, meet various stakeholders, and sign an agreement for the probe. Bangladesh has experienced significant turmoil since the government’s collapse.

A team of UN experts is set to arrive in Dhaka on Thursday to establish a framework for investigating the killing of at least 650 protesters following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister earlier this month.

'This is the primary UN team of experts before the UN fact-finding mission comes and investigates the atrocities. We are expecting to sign an agreement of framework for the probe,' a UN official based in Dhaka told The Daily Star newspaper on Wednesday.

The UN team is anticipated to discuss detailed terms and conditions for examining all human rights violations between July 1 and August 15. The delegation will stay for at least a week, engaging with civil society groups, victims, students, and government officials.

As confirmed by the foreign ministry, Bangladesh has been in chaos after Hasina's government fell, and she fled to India on August 5 amid violent protests over quota reforms for government jobs. The Army stepped in, causing over 500 deaths since mid-July. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus became Chief Adviser of the interim government on August 8.

A report from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights published on August 16 states 650 people were killed from July 16 to August 11 during the student-led protests and post-government collapse. More than half of these occurred between July 16 and August 4, with remaining deaths reported after August 5.

The number of reported fatalities remains an underestimation due to movement restrictions, curfews, and an internet shutdown. The UN human rights body highlights undetermined revenge attack deaths post-August 5, with casualties including protesters, bystanders, journalists, and security forces.

Hospitals are overwhelmed by the influx of injured protesters and bystanders, with most deaths attributed to security forces and the Awami League's student wing. This is the first UN fact-finding mission in Bangladesh since its 1971 independence, emphasized by Chief Adviser Yunus on social media.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk reiterated the need for an inclusive, human rights-centred approach to ensuring successful transition in Bangladesh and accountability for human rights violations and violence. Additionally, a complaint was filed with Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal against Hasina and associates, accusing them of genocide and crimes against humanity during the student protests.

(With inputs from agencies.)