Countrywide violence claims over 600 lives

Over 600 people were killed during the recent student protests in Bangladesh and most of the killings occurred in actions carried out by security agencies and ruling- party cadres to curb the movement, says a UN report.
"According to available public reports by media and the protest movement itself, between 16 July and 11 August, more than 600 people, including 32 children, were killed. Of these, nearly 400 deaths were reported from 16 July to 4 August, while around 250 people were reportedly killed following the new wave of protests between 5 and 6 August," reads the report, titled 'Primary analysis of recent unrest in Bangladesh', released Friday.
The report attributes majority of deaths and injuries to the security forces and the student wing affiliated with the Awami League-the immediate-past ruling party, unseated through a heightened student-people upheaval on August 5.
Prepared by the UN Human Rights Commission (UNHRC), the report presents a vivid picture of how the previous regime resorted to killing, enforced disappearances, torture and curbing press freedom to quell the popular protest that ultimately toppled the regime.
"The number of reported killings in revenge attacks since that time still remains to be determined. A number of deaths were reported between 7 and 11 August, including those who died while undergoing medical treatment for injuries sustained in the violence. Those killed include protesters, bystanders, journalists covering the events and a number of members of the security forces," it says.
It notes that the death toll is likely an underestimate, as information collection has been hindered by restrictions on movement due to the curfew and the internet shutdown.
These casualties resulted from the use of live ammunition and other force against protesters who, while acting violently, reportedly were not armed, or only lightly armed, as well as from instances of "security forces unlawfully using lethal force against protesters posing no apparent threat".
"Unarmed protesters, and bystanders, including at least 4 journalists and at least 32 children, with many more injured and detained - a number of whom were seemingly deliberately targeted."
Presenting graphic narratives on how students were killed the report says, "In one such video, apparently showing the killing of a student activist named Abu Sayed, the student can be seen standing still with his arms spread wide and holding a wooden stick in a gesture of defiance.
"The police can then be seen shooting directly at his chest. Upon impact, Abu Sayed clutched his chest as the officers fired at least twice more. In another video, a young man is seen trying to pull an injured young man to safety in the Jatrabari area of Dhaka. Shortly afterwards, a plainclothes officer wearing a helmet appears to open fire towards them, forcing the young man to flee, leaving the mortally wounded man behind."
The UN rights body also narrates in the report how inflammatory remarks by top ruling-party leaders instigated the violence.
"Although the demonstrations began as a mainly peaceful movement at universities, they descended into violence in mid-July, particularly following senior Government officials' inflammatory remarks referring to the protesters as 'razakars', a deeply derogatory term historically associated with real and perceived collaborators of Pakistani actors during the 1971 war of independence," it says.
The UNHRC names Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader who "personally made incendiary statements, blaming what he called "anti-liberation" forces such as the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JI), and ominously asserting that the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling party, would respond to the protesters. This further inflamed tensions, leading to violent clashes between Government supporters and protestors".
It says the police and paramilitary forces appear to have frequently used force indiscriminately against both peaceful protests as well as those with elements of violence, employing rubber bullets, sound grenades and firearms with live lethal ammunition, including birdshot pellets and bullets.
"Reports indicate that security forces also used helicopters to fire on protesters, further intensifying the violence," the exhaustive report goes on stating.
In some cases, the UN body points out, the security forces were reported to have employed vehicles and helicopters that bore the logo of the United Nations and appeared intended for use by Bangladeshi contingents in United Nations missions.
"The unnecessary and disproportionate use of force by law-enforcement agencies against protesters would constitute a violation of Bangladesh's obligations to uphold the rights to life and physical integrity and with relevant international human rights standards, as further specified by the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials," the report notes.
The UN body thinks that "the authorities have an obligation to promptly initiate independent, impartial and effective investigations into the alleged human-rights violations, hold those responsible to account, and ensure effective remedies for the victims.
Berating how the protesters were tortured the reports states that as the protests temporarily paused on 22 July and the first internet shutdown was gradually lifted, reports began to emerge of targeted actions against BNP and JI leaders, activists, student leaders, and other individuals.
These actions included intensified surveillance, threats, and legal measures. Thousands of arrests were reported in Dhaka and other parts of the country, involving joint operations by forces.
"Checkpoints were established, and phones were reportedly being checked to remove evidence of police violence," the report says.
"The majority of those arrested were not presented in court within 24 hours, and were denied access to legal representation, while no information of their whereabouts was provided to their families. On 21 July, a circular was reportedly issued by the Home Ministry, instructing that prisons should not permit any visits to prisoners."
This directive effectively rendered "incommunicado" all students and others detained. From 12 July to 3 August, at least 450,000 unknown persons and 2000 identified persons were reportedly registered for offenses in at least 286 criminal cases in Dhaka alone, including a combination of named and unnamed individuals-many members of the opposition reportedly among them.
About the tortures against the movement leaders it says Nahid Islam, a coordinator of the quota-reform movement, went missing on 19 July. His father reported that he was taken from a friend's house at midnight and reappeared over 24 hours later. "CCTV footage suggests he was picked up by the Rapid Action Battalion".
"Nahid described being interrogated and tortured by individuals claiming to be detectives. He received hospital treatment for blood clots on both shoulders and his left leg."
Nahid, along with two other coordinators of the movement, Asif Mahmud and Abu Bakar Majumdar, were forcibly taken by unidentified plainclothesmen on 26 July, while receiving treatment at Gonoshastho Hospital in Dhaka.
It narrates how all the main 6 coordinators fell victim of torture. "The Detective Branch claimed that they would take them into custody for their own safety, a claim rejected by their own families. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan stated that the coordinators had not been officially arrested and they would be released if deemed safe by the police."
The six coordinators were reportedly forced to issue a video statement announcing the end of the protest movement. They were released on 1 August.
Following the government's resignation, 2,400 of those arrested were released on bail but the number of persons still in detention or unaccounted for needs to be clarified.
On curbing media freedom it says, "Information collected by OHCHR indicates that the Government deliberately restricted internet services - including access to social media - to curb the dissemination of information and hinder the coordination of protest activities."
However, while releasing the report, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk said the transition in Bangladesh is an historic opportunity to ensure governance anchored in human rights, inclusivity and the rule of law, stressing the need for accountability for all those responsible for human-rights violations and violence.
"The transition ahead presents an historic opportunity to reform and revitalize the country's institutions, to restore fundamental freedoms and civic space, and to give all in Bangladesh a part in building the future," the High Commissioner said in his suggestion.
"Accountability for violations and justice for the victims are the key for the way forward, and will need to be accompanied by a "national healing process," Türk said.
"A comprehensive, impartial and transparent investigation into all human rights violations and abuses that have occurred will be a critical first step."
He has also called for preventing retaliatory violence.

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