Bangladeshi authorities used unlawful force against student protesters and failed to ensure their protection during the ongoing ‘Bangla-Blockade’ quota-reform protest across the country, said Amnesty International on late Wednesday.
Witness testimonies, video and photographic evidence analysed and authenticated by Amnesty International and its Crisis Evidence Lab confirm the use of unlawful force by the police against student protesters, said the human rights organization in a press statement.
It said that further witness testimonies confirm the continuation of a multi-year pattern of violence against protesters, allegedly committed by members of the Bangladesh Chatra League, a group affiliated with the ruling party.
‘Amnesty International strongly condemns the killing of student Abu Sayed and the attacks against quota reform protesters at Dhaka University and other campuses across the country,’ said Taqbir Huda, regional researcher for South Asia at Amnesty International.
‘Bangladeshi authorities must fully respect people’s right to freedom of peaceful assembly in line with its commitments under international law and its own Constitution and protect peaceful protesters from further harm,’ he said.
At least six people have been killed and thousands injured in the last two days across Bangladesh.
One of them, Abu Sayed, a 25-year-old student, was killed in the north-western city of Rangpur.Â
In two videos verified by Amnesty International, at least two police officers discharge 12-gauge shotguns directly towards him from across the street. Sayed clutches his chest on impact as officers’ fire at least two more times.
Amnesty International used satellite imagery to geolocate the positions of Sayed and the police officers, and found that they were at a distance of about 15 metres during the shooting. Also, Sayed posed no apparent physical threat to the police.Â
Amnesty International considers the use of birdshot to be absolutely inappropriate and it should never be used in the policing of protest.