 "UN report says 1,400 died in Bangladesh during anti-Hasina protests, Yunus govt put death toll at 834")
The United Nations has said that around 1,400 people died during the anti-government protests under Sheikh Hasina’s regime.
The UN emphasised that the Hasina-led government carried out systematic attacks and killings of protesters to stay in power. It said these actions could be considered “crimes against humanity.”
The government was toppled after a student-led mass agitation last August, resulting in the ouster of former Prime Minister Hasina. Hasina is currently residing in neighbouring India.
In a systematic crackdown on protesters, the government conducted “hundreds of extrajudicial killings,” the United Nations said.
Fact-finding inquiry
The information was shared after a fact-finding inquiry was conducted by the group into events in Bangladesh between July 1 and August 15 last year. The UN rights office said it had “reasonable grounds to believe that the crimes against humanity of murder, torture, imprisonment, and infliction of other inhumane acts have taken place.”
The UN report said that the government, along with members of the Awami League and Bangladeshi security forces, carried out widespread attacks on protesters and civilians to stay in power.
Hasina has already defied an arrest warrant to face trial in Bangladesh for crimes against humanity.
1,400 Killed during students protests
The rights office launched its fact-finding mission at the request of Bangladesh’s interim leader, Mohammed Yunus. It sent a team, including human rights investigators, a forensic physician, and a weapons expert, to the country.
The report is based on over 230 confidential interviews with victims, witnesses, protest leaders, and rights defenders, along with reviews of medical records, photos, videos, and other documents.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIt found that security forces backed Hasina’s government during the unrest, which started with protests against civil service job quotas and later grew into demands for her resignation.
The rights office said the former government had systematically tried to suppress the protests with increasingly violent means.
It estimated that “as many as 1,400 people may have been killed” in that 45-day period, while thousands were injured.
The vast majority of those killed “were shot by Bangladesh’s security forces,” the rights office said, adding that children made up 12 to 13 percent of those killed.
The overall death toll given is far higher than the most recent estimate by Bangladesh’s interim government, which reported 834 people killed during the protests.
Violence against Hindus, minorities
As a result of the protests, minorities in Bangladesh have faced several cases of violence.
News agency AP reported that Hindus, who constitute a significant minority in Bangladesh, have faced numerous attacks. Between August 4 and 20 last year, the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council reported 2,010 incidents of communal violence, including attacks on 69 temples. These incidents involved vandalism, arson, and physical assaults, resulting in deaths and injuries.
Between August 21 and December 31, 2024, an additional 174 incidents were reported, resulting in 23 deaths.
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