UN accuses former Hasina govt of possible ‘crimes against humanity’ in B'desh
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People gather around the residence of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, on August 5, 2024 [EPA]
Bangladesh’s former government, led by Sheikh Hasina, was responsible for systematic repression and killings of protesters last year, the United Nations stated in a report on Wednesday, indicating that the abuses could constitute “crimes against humanity.”
Hasina fled to India on August 5 following weeks of mass student-led protests against her Awami League government. Having served as Bangladesh’s prime minister for 16 years, she was succeeded by Nobel laureate economist Muhammad Yunus, who took over as the head of the country’s interim government three days later.
The UN Human Rights Office, in its findings, accused the Hasina government, along with Bangladesh’s security and intelligence forces and “violent elements” associated with the Awami League party, of systematically engaging in grave human rights violations during the protests in July and August. The agency said it uncovered an “official policy to attack and violently repress anti-government protesters” and called for further criminal investigations into the alleged crimes.
A UN human rights fact-finding team was dispatched to Bangladesh in September at the request of Yunus to conduct an independent investigation into the events. The report detailed that between July 1 and August 15, at least 1,400 people were killed, with thousands more injured. The majority of the deaths resulted from gunfire by security forces, with 12% to 13% of those killed being children.
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk described the violent crackdown on protests as a “calculated and well-coordinated strategy” by the Hasina government to maintain its grip on power. He asserted that there were reasonable grounds to believe that “hundreds of extrajudicial killings, extensive arbitrary arrests and detentions, and torture” were carried out with the knowledge, coordination, and direction of the country’s leadership. Testimonies from senior officials and other evidence, he said, “paint a disturbing picture of rampant state violence and targeted killings, among the most serious violations of human rights, and which may also constitute international crimes.” He further emphasized that accountability and justice were essential for the country’s healing and future stability.
Bangladesh’s International Criminal Tribunal has since filed three cases and issued two arrest warrants for Hasina and several of her associates, including former military generals and an ex-police chief, for their alleged involvement in enforced disappearances and other crimes. The first warrant, issued in October, accused Hasina of committing crimes against humanity during the protests that led to her ousting.
The Awami League government had long been accused of orchestrating enforced disappearances, but Hasina consistently denied the allegations. On February 6, Dhaka announced that legal proceedings were underway to extradite Hasina and others from India.