UN to send mission to probe rights violations

The UN Human Rights Office said it will dispatch a fact-finding mission to Bangladesh, as requested by the interim government, to investigate alleged human rights violations during recent deadly violence in the country.

Last month’s anti-government protests, which began as a student-led movement against public sector job quotas, escalated into the deadliest violence since the country’s independence in 1971.

The unrest left more than 1,000 people dead and prompted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India on Aug. 5. Violence continued for some days after she fled.

An interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus replaced Hasina’s administration, helping quell the violence as security forces also cracked down on protests.

“The office will deploy a fact-finding team to Bangladesh in the coming weeks to report on violations and abuses perpetrated during the protests, analyzing root causes, and making recommendations to advance justice and accountability and for longer-term reforms,” Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, said in a statement.

This decision follows a visit by a UN team from Aug. 22-29, during which they engaged with various stakeholders, including members of the interim government.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk welcomed Bangladesh’s recent accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and praised the establishment of a national commission to investigate cases of enforced disappearances, a longstanding issue in Bangladesh.

“We stand ready to support the Commission in its work, which should be in close consultation with victims and their families,” Shamdasani said.