The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday said the transition in Bangladesh was a historic opportunity to ensure governance is anchored in human rights, inclusivity and rule of law, stressing the need for accountability for all those responsible for human rights violations and violence.
“Accountability for violations and justice for the victims are key for the way forward, and will need to be accompanied by a national healing process. All those responsible for human rights violations, including those who used or ordered the unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, must be held to account and victims must be provided with reparations and effective remedies,” UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said at the UN bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
“A comprehensive, impartial and transparent investigation into all human rights violations and abuses that have occurred will be a critical first step.”
Her remarks came as the Office issued a preliminary report on the protests and unrest in the country in recent weeks. Triggered by the reinstatement of a quota system for allocation of civil service positions, initially peaceful student protests in Bangladesh in mid-June were followed by violence and serious human rights violations committed by security forces, with hundreds of people believed to have been killed – including at least 32 children – and thousands injured.
“There are strong indications, warranting further independent investigation, that the security forces used unnecessary and disproportionate force in their response to the situation,” Shamdasani told reporters. “Additional, alleged violations, that also warrant thorough, impartial and transparent investigations, include extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, enforced disappearances, torture and ill-treatment, and severe restrictions on the exercise of freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.”
Following the resignation of the Government on 5 August 2024, there were also reports of looting, arson and attacks on members of religious minorities, as well as reprisals against and revenge killings of members of the former ruling party and police. On 15 August, mobs armed with bamboo sticks, iron rods and pipes reportedly assaulted supporters of the former Prime Minister. Journalists were also reportedly attacked and threatened preventing them from filming at the scenes.
“Law enforcement agencies need to receive clear instructions and training on the use of force, in line with international human rights standards,” Shamdasani said. “They must protect populations at risk against any retaliatory or revenge violence, including minority communities. The High Commissioner welcomes the initiative by various student organisations, faith leaders and other people forming groups to protect minorities and religious sites belonging to minority communities.”
She said the UN Human Rights Office welcomes the release of thousands of detainees and longer-term political prisoners, including victims of enforced disappearances. “We urge the release of all those arbitrarily detained.”
ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva:
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org
Liz Throssell + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org
Jeremy Laurence - + 41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and Facebook: unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani on the transition in Bangladesh
TRT: 3’14
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 16 August 2024 – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shot: Palais des Nations
- Interior shot: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The transition in Bangladesh is a historic opportunity to reform and revitalise the country’s institutions, to restore fundamental freedoms and civic space, and for inclusive governance, giving all the people in Bangladesh a part in building the future. Accountability for violations and justice for the victims are key for the way forward, and will need to be accompanied by a national healing process. All those responsible for human rights violations, including those who used or ordered the unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, must be held to account and victims must be provided with reparations and effective remedies. A comprehensive, impartial and transparent investigation into all human rights violations and abuses that have occurred will be a critical first step.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “These initially peaceful student protests were followed by violence and serious human rights violations committed by security forces, with hundreds of people believe to have been killed, including at least 32 children, and thousands injured.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “In a preliminary report we are issuing today, there are strong indications, warranting further independent investigation, that the security forces used unnecessary and disproportionate force in their response to the situation. Additional, alleged violations, that also warrant thorough, impartial and transparent investigations, include extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and detention, enforced disappearances, torture and ill-treatment, and severe restrictions on the exercise of freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly.”
- Cutaways: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Following the resignation of the government on the 5th of August 2024, there were also reports of looting, arson and attacks on members of religious minorities, as well as reprisals against and revenge killings of members of the former ruling party and police.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Mobs armed with bamboo stick, iron rods and pipes reportedly assaulted supporters of the former prime minister. Journalists were also reportedly attacked and threatened, preventing them from filming at the scenes.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “Law enforcement agencies need to receive clear instructions and training on the use of force, in line with international human rights standards. They must protect populations at risk against any retaliatory or revenge violence, including minority communities. The High Commissioner welcomes the initiative by various student organisations, faith leaders and other people forming groups to protect minorities and religious sites belonging to minority communities.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “We also welcome the release of thousands of detainees and longer-term political prisoners, including some victims of enforced disappearances, and we urge the release of all those arbitrarily detained.”
- Cutaways: Briefing room
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF
Gaza: As world waits for US peace plan news, UN aid teams stress need for ceasefire
UN agencies reiterated calls for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Tuesday to help alleviate Palestinian suffering, as a new US 20-point plan raised hopes of a halt to the fighting.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
The ongoing Israeli military offensive in Gaza City continues to overwhelm the war-torn enclave’s medical professionals, with four more hospitals forced to shut down this month alone, the UN World Health Organization said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
A UN Human Rights report released today details the dire situation of thousands of civilians detained since Russia’s full-scale armed attack on Ukraine in 2022.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNICEF
Sudan war: Life-saving cholera vaccination campaign begins in Darfur
Amid the devastating war in Sudan, UN aid teams are overcoming major obstacles to curb a cholera outbreak claiming lives across the country, with young children particularly at risk.
2
1
2
Edited News , B-roll | UN WOMEN
Women and girls still reeling from Afghanistan's recent deadly earthquake face even greater suffering rebuilding their lives and livelihoods without much more help from the international community, UN Women said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Rising civilian casualties, growing ethnic violence and the grim humanitarian situation in Sudan underscore how the crisis there is deepening, according to a UN Human rights report published today.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNITED NATIONS
United Nations agencies staff demonstrates on Place des Nations in Geneva to denounce the killing of their colleagues in Gaza.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO
The world’s water resources face growing pressure from climate change while emergencies related to the vital resource are increasingly impacting lives and livelihoods, the UN World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said on Thursday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council during a meeting on the Israeli strike on negotiators in Qatar on Tuesday. “Israel’s strike on negotiators in Doha on 9 September was a shocking breach of international law, an assault on regional peace and stability, and a blow against the integrity of mediation and negotiating processes around the world,” he said.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza: Thirsty and starving, war-battered families face ‘inhumane’ evacuation
As bombs continue to fall on Gaza City as part of the intensifying Israeli military operation, families with starving children are being pushed southwards from one “hellscape” to another, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
New UN Human Rights report finds 10 years of increased suffering repression and fear
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday published a report on the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 2014.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNICEF , UNHCR
The ongoing humanitarian response to the devastating Afghanistan earthquake disaster continued on Friday, although essential services have been cut for operational reasons following reinforced Taliban restrictions on women working with the UN, the global body said.