The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani Update on UN Human Rights Office work in Bangladesh
“This is just an update on the work of an advance team that was deployed to Dhaka last week from 22-29 August. They meet with student leaders of the recent protests, many of whom have been detained or injured in recent weeks, as well as a wide range of advisors in the Interim Government, the Chief Justice, senior officers of the police and armed forces, lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders, representatives of political parties, as well as minority and indigenous communities,” Shamdasani said.
“The team discussed areas – in which our Office could provide sustained support to the government of Bangladesh including on issues like civic space, the need for truth, justice, healing, reparation and reconciliation, and other human rights approaches to the reform process,” the spokesperson said.
“The High Commissioner also received an official invitation from the Chief Advisor, Muhammad Yunus, to conduct an impartial and independent fact-finding mission into human rights violations committed from 1 July to 15 August. The Office will deploy this fact-finding team to Bangladesh in the coming weeks, with a view to reporting on violations and abuses perpetrated during the protests, analyzing root causes and, and making recommendations to advance justice and accountability and for longer-term reforms. We received commitments from the Interim Government and security forces for full cooperation in our work on this ,” she said.
“The High Commissioner warmly welcomes the announcement of Bangladesh’s accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and the establishment of a five-member national commission of inquiry to determine the whereabouts of individuals forcibly displaced allegedly by law enforcement agencies. It is particularly symbolic that this announcement comes as we mark the international day on enforced disappearances,” Shamdasani said.
“The issue of enforced disappearances has a long and painful history in Bangladesh, on which we have robustly advocated over the years. And we stand ready to support the Commission in its work, which should be of course done in close consultation with victims and their families and in line with international human rights standards,” the spokesperson said.
The spokesperson added that the UN Human Rights Office looks forward to supporting the Interim Government and people of Bangladesh at this pivotal moment to revitalise democracy, seek accountability and reconciliation, and advance human rights for all the people in Bangladesh.
ENDS
This briefing note will be delivered shortly at the UN press briefing in Geneva.
For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva
Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org or
Thameen Al-Kheetan - + 41 76 223 77 62 / thameen.alkheetan@un.org
Seif Magango - +254 788 343 897 / seif.magango@un.org
Tag and share
Twitter @UNHumanRights
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani update on Human Rights team in Bangladesh
TRT: 02:44
SOURCE: OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 30 August 2024 – GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior shots : Palais des Nations
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “This is just an update on the work of an advance team that was deployed to Dhaka last week from 22-29 August. They meet with student leaders of the recent protests, many of whom have been detained or injured in recent weeks, as well as a wide range of advisors in the Interim Government, the Chief Justice, senior officers of the police and armed forces, lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders, representatives of political parties, as well as minority and indigenous communities.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The team discussed areas – in which our Office could provide sustained support to the government of Bangladesh including on issues like civic space, the need for truth, justice, healing, reparation and reconciliation, and other human rights approaches to the reform process.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The High Commissioner also received an official invitation from the Chief Advisor, Muhammad Yunus, to conduct an impartial and independent fact-finding mission into human rights violations committed from 1 July to 15 August. The Office will deploy this fact-finding team to Bangladesh in the coming weeks, with a view to reporting on violations and abuses perpetrated during the protests, analyzing root causes and, and making recommendations to advance justice and accountability and for longer-term reforms. We received commitments from the Interim Government and security forces for full cooperation in our work on this.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The High Commissioner warmly welcomes the announcement of Bangladesh’s accession to the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, and the establishment of a five-member national commission of inquiry to determine the whereabouts of individuals forcibly displaced allegedly by law enforcement agencies. It is particularly symbolic that this announcement comes as we mark the international day on enforced disappearances.”
- Cutaway: Briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English)—Ravina Shamdasani, Spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR): “The issue of enforced disappearances has a long and painful history in Bangladesh, on which we have robustly advocated over the years. And we stand ready to support the Commission in its work, which should be of course done in close consultation with victims and their families and in line with international human rights standards.”
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , UNMAS , WHO
Just how many people are still trapped in the Sudanese city of El Fasher?
That’s the burning question for relatives of the many thousands of people believed to still be there, since paramilitary fighters overran the regional capital of North Darfur last month, after a 500-day siege.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following remarks on the ongoing violence in the occupied WestBank.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, the UN Human Rights Chief, Volker Türk made the following remarks on the situation in El-Fasher, Sudan.
2
1
2
Statements , Conferences , Edited News | HRC
UN Human Rights Council holds special session on Sudan as mass atrocities reported in El Fasher
The UN Human Rights Council convened an emergency session on Friday on the situation in and around El Fasher, Sudan, following reports of mass killings in the North Darfur capital. States passed a resolution that will mandate an investigation into likely mass atrocities during the capture of El Fasher by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on 26 October.
1
1
2
Edited News | UN WOMEN
Sudan: Women’s bodies ‘a crime scene’ as tens of thousands flee El Fasher atrocities – UN Women
In war-torn Sudan, rape is being systematically used as a weapon and simply being a woman is “a strong predictor” of hunger, violence and death, the UN’s gender equality agency warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
The UN human rights office (OHCHR) on Friday called for an end to continuing expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, where “unchecked” settler violence has surged since the war in Gaza began more than two years ago.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
The crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) continues to worsen amid ongoing fighting that has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes and created acute hunger, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Friday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gaza: One million receive food parcels as humanitarians race to ‘push back hunger’
Food is slowly returning to the shelves in Gaza amid “apocalyptic scenes” but supplies are still desperately inadequate, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday, as they issued fresh calls for wider access and continued financial support.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango today told the bi-weekly UN press briefing in Geneva of more details that are emerging on the atrocities committed in El Fasher, in Sudan during and after its takeover by the Rapid Support Forces.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Seif Magango made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani made the following comment on Friday at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , WHO
Sudan: UN Raises Alarm Over Mass Atrocities in El Fasher as Survivors Report Executions, Killings and Rapes
More details continue to emerge about atrocities committed during and after the fall of El Fasher to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan on 23 October. Since the powerful paramilitary group made a major incursion into the city last week, the UN Human Rights Office has received “horrendous accounts of summary executions, mass killings, rapes, attacks against humanitarian workers, looting, abductions and forced displacement,” said Seif Magango, spokesperson for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).