The UN Human Rights Office has released a report detailing severe human rights violations committed during last year’s student-led protests in Bangladesh, which resulted in the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. According to the report, the security and intelligence forces, along with Awami League-affiliated violent elements, carried out systematic and widespread repression, leading to as many as 1,400 deaths in just 46 days. Thousands were injured, with most of the casualties attributed to security forces’ gunfire. Among those killed, approximately 12–13 per cent were children. Additionally, Bangladesh Police reported 44 officer deaths.
The protests were initially triggered by the reinstatement of a controversial quota system in public sector jobs by the High Court. However, they were fuelled by deeper grievances over political corruption, economic inequality, and governance failures. The report states that the former government, facing mass opposition, resorted to excessive force to retain power.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk described the response as a “calculated and well-coordinated strategy” to suppress dissent. The report highlights hundreds of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture, and gender-based violence. The violations, allegedly committed with the knowledge and direction of senior political and security officials, may constitute crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute, to which Bangladesh is a signatory. The International Criminal Court (ICC) may therefore have jurisdiction over these crimes.
The UN inquiry, conducted at the request of the Interim Government led by Chief Advisor Mohammed Yunus, began in September 2024. The investigative team, comprising human rights experts, a forensic physician, and a weapons specialist, gathered evidence from protest sites, hospitals, and witnesses. Their findings indicate a pattern of deliberate killings and severe repression. The report includes a forensic analysis of Abu Sayed’s death, a protester from Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur. Video and geolocation analysis confirmed he was shot at least twice at close range after daring police to fire at him.
Women and children were disproportionately affected. Female protest leaders were subjected to arbitrary detention, torture, and threats of sexual violence, while children were maimed, detained in inhumane conditions, and tortured. A notable case documented in the report involved a 12-year-old protester in Dhanmondi, who died from internal bleeding after being struck by 200 metal pellets. Additionally, very young children present at protests or in surrounding areas were fatally shot. A six-year-old girl in Narayanganj was killed by a bullet to the head while observing clashes from her rooftop.
August 5, one of the deadliest days of the protests, saw excessive violence, with security forces firing indiscriminately. A 12-year-old survivor from Azampur recounted witnessing multiple deaths, describing the police gunfire as being “like rainfall.” Medical access was also obstructed; security forces allegedly denied care to the wounded, intimidated hospital staff, and confiscated CCTV footage to suppress evidence.
As the former government lost control, retaliatory violence surged. Awami League supporters, police officers, and journalists faced attacks. Additionally, religious and ethnic minorities, including Hindus, Ahmadiyya Muslims, and indigenous groups from the Chittagong Hill Tracts, suffered targeted violence. While around 100 arrests were made in connection with these attacks, many perpetrators remain unpunished.
The UN report outlines recommendations for comprehensive reform of Bangladesh’s security and justice sectors. It calls for the abolition of repressive laws and institutions that stifle civic and political dissent and suggests broader political and economic reforms.
Mr. Türk emphasised that accountability and justice are crucial for Bangladesh’s future. “The best way forward for Bangladesh is to confront the horrific wrongs committed d
uring this period through a process of truth-telling, healing, and accountability,” he said. The UN Human Rights Office has pledged its support for this process, urging Bangladesh to redress the legacy of these human rights violations to prevent their recurrence.
