The Amnesty International secretary general Agn猫s Callamard in a letter to prime minister Sheikh Hasina urged to take urgent and concrete action to end the violence and ensure justice and accountability for the death of over 200 people during the quota reform protests.
鈥業 write to you with grave concern over the recent violent crackdowns on the ongoing 鈥淏angla-Blockade鈥� quota-reform protests in Bangladesh and urge you to take urgent and concrete action to end the violence and ensure justice and accountability for the death of over 200 people during the protests,鈥� she said in the letter sent to Hasina on Tuesday.
Following one of the deadliest crackdowns on protests in the history of the country, Bangladesh Police alongside paramilitary forces, including the Rapid Action Battalion, Border Guard Bangladesh, and Bangladesh Military were extensively deployed across the country to quell protests, the letter mentioned referring to media reports.
Mentioning that the high death toll is a shocking indictment of the absolute intolerance shown by the Bangladeshi authorities to protest and dissent, Agn猫s Callamard said, 鈥楾he unlawful use of force, including lethal force, against protesters shows the authorities鈥� callous disregard for the right to life and an abject failure by law enforcement officials to uphold their obligations under domestic and international human rights law.鈥�
In the past 10 days, Amnesty International has monitored and documented the grave human rights violations being committed by the authorities during the policing of protests, she said in the letter.
On two separate occasions, the Amnesty International has verified the evidence that confirms the use of unlawful force, unlawful use of lethal and less-lethal weapons against student protesters, amid six days of communication restrictions.聽
They also point to violence unleashed by Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of your ruling Awami League, first against unarmed and peaceful student protestors on the University of Dhaka campus and then against students receiving medical treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Amid these protests, people in Bangladesh have also been subjected to a nationwide internet shutdown since the evening of 18 July 2024. Prior to this shutdown, access to mobile internet was temporarily restricted across the country, and access to social media platforms was blocked in certain areas.
At the same time, according to media reports 10,000 arrests have taken place, mostly targeting opposition leaders and activists and student leaders and protest participants.
Additionally, over 213,000 people have been accused over the recent protest related violence in around 200 cases filed in police stations in the capital alone.
She also urged immediate and unconditional release all the people detained or arrested solely for exercising their right to protest peacefully.
She also called upon the PM to cooperate with the United Nations to conduct a thorough, effective, independent, and impartial investigation into the deaths and injuries during the crackdown.
鈥楾hose found responsible for the unlawful use of force must be held accountable,鈥� Agn猫s Callamard said, calling upon the Government of Bangladesh to immediately and fully lift the curfew, restore full access to social media platforms and guarantee that shoot on sight curfew orders and internet shutdowns will not be used in the future to crack down on protesters or to repress any other fundamental rights.
