A statement issued by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus-led interim government said a UN team will probe the “atrocities committed during the Student Revolution” during and in the aftermath of the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Crisis: A United Nations fact-finding mission will arrive in Bangladesh next week to probe the killings of protesters by police and armed forces during the student protests which led to the ouster and resignation of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
A statement issued by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus-led interim government said a UN team will probe the “atrocities committed during the Student Revolution” during and in the aftermath of the fall of the Hasina regime in Bangladesh.
“The United Nations is sending a UN fact-finding team next week to probe atrocities committed during the Student Revolution in July and early this month. UN human rights chief Volker Turk announced the move when he called Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus late Wednesday,” a post by the Chief Adviser of Government of Bangladesh said on X, the handle for which is run by Yunus’ office.
Notably, this will be the first time a UN fact-finding mission is visiting Bangladesh since its independence in 1971 to investigate widespread human rights abuses in the country, according to a UN official, said a post on X by the Chief Adviser of the Government of Bangladesh.
Bangladesh crisis
Muhammad Yunus took oath as the Chief Adviser of the interim government on August 8, days after the August 5 fall of the Awami League regime and the resignation of Sheikh Hasina as prime minister of the country and her escape to India amid violent protests over quota reforms for government jobs which had morphed into anti-Hasina protests following the brutal force used on the protesting students.
Bangladesh descended into chaos last week after Hasina’s departure while the Army stepped in to fill the power vacuum on August 5. Before that, the anti-government protests had killed more than 500 people since mid-July, according to official date, though unofficial figures put the number in thousands.
UN Human Rights chief assures support for Yunus
Meanwhile, UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk assured his support for Bangladesh’s interim government, stating that an inclusive, human rights-centred approach will ensure the transition succeeds.
“Promising phone call with @ChiefAdviserGoB Muhammad Yunus. I assured him of @UNHumanRights Office’s solidarity with the people of #Bangladesh & our support to the interim govt at this pivotal time. An inclusive, human rights-centred approach will ensure this transition succeeds,” Turk said in a X post on late Wednesday night.
Earlier on Wednesday, after his phone call with Turk, Yunus had posted: “The UN human rights chief, @volker_turk has made a phone call to Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday.”
“A team of UN experts would soon visit the country to investigate [the killings],” Volker Turk told Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today during a phone conversation.
UN-led investigation to probe killings
Yunus said in a connecting post on X: The UN rights chief said a UN-led investigation will be launched very soon to probe the killing of the protesters during the Student Revolution.
Human rights will be the cornerstone of his administration and the protection of every citizen is the top most priority of the government, Yunus, who has sought UN cooperation to uphold human rights, said.
“The Chief Adviser thanked him and his long-time friend Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, for supporting the Bangladesh students’ revolution and championing their rights during unprecedented and devastating killings of student protestors,” Yunus said in the series of posts.
Meanwhile, a complaint was filed on Wednesday with the investigation agency of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal against Hasina and eight others, accusing them of committing genocide and crimes against humanity during the mass movement of the students against her government.
(With PTI inputs)