The beginning of scientific exhumations and forensic analysis of 114 unidentified bodies of people killed during the July 2024 protests in Bangladesh is a fundamental step towards helping families of the missing fulfil their rights to truth, justice and accountability, a UN expert said.
“This is the first large-scale forensic recovery, analysis and identification operation carried out in Bangladesh based on international human rights and forensic standards,” said Morris Tidball-Binz, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.
The forensic examination of the bodies is being conducted on site in a temporary mortuary installed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), in line with international forensic and human rights standards. The process is expected to take several days and will include DNA analysis to support the scientific identification of the deceased.
In July 2025, Tidball-Binz, who is a forensic doctor, was in Dhaka, with the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), to provide technical advice on forensic investigations to the authorities, including the CID and medico-legal services. On that occasion, the Special Rapporteur’s technical assistance was welcomed and used to help plan and prepare the large-scale recovery, documentation and identification of victims of the 2024 events, in line with international standards, in particular the Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death.
As a result, on 1 December 2025, a member of the Forensic Advisory Group* – convened by the Special Rapporteur – travelled to Bangladesh at OHCHR’s invitation to support the final preparations and implementation of the exhumations, which began on 7 December 2025. The bodies are reported to correspond to people killed during the 2024 uprising, who were recovered from the streets of Dhaka and buried at Rayerbazar cemetery by the Muslim charity Anjuman Mufidul Islam. Although efforts were made at the time to ensure respect for the dead and protect their dignity, identification was not possible.
“In addition to helping to respond to victims’ and families’ needs for truth, justice and accountability, this investigation is a unique opportunity to strengthen the country’s medico-legal and forensic capacity in line with standards such as the Minnesota Protocol – as Bangladesh both needs and deserves,” Tidball-Binz said.
Special Rapporteurs/Independent Experts/Working Groups are independent human rights experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Together, these experts are referred to as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures experts work voluntarily; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. While the UN Human Rights office acts as the secretariat for Special Procedures, the experts serve in their individual capacity and are independent from any government or organisation, including OHCHR and the UN. Any views or opinions presented are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the UN or OHCHR.
*The Forensic Advisory Group was formed in 2021 upon invitation from the current U.N. Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, following the model of the Forensic Advisory Board of the International Committee of the Red Cross. The Forensic Advisory Group is composed of forensic scientists and international law specialists who are internationally renowned for their knowledge and experience in research, training and practice of forensic science applied to human rights investigations and humanitarian action and who are willing to assist the mandate (and other SPs), voluntarily, with their advice on matters related to their fields of expertise. Their participation in the Forensic Advisory Group is informal and on a personal basis, meaning that the Forensic Advisory Group and its members have no formal relation with the United Nations, and they also do not participate in the representation of any institution.
