Dhaka: International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) Chief Prosecutor Muhammad Tajul Islam today asserted that the Fact-Finding Report from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) will serve as irrefutable evidence for crimes against humanity during the student-led mass uprising in July and August.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Tajul emphasized that there is no fundamental difference between the OHCHR report and the findings from the ICT investigation agency’s probe. He stated that the report clearly implicates the Awami League, its associated organizations such as Chhatra League and Jubo League, and various security forces. These actions were reportedly carried out under the specific planning and direction of Sheikh Hasina, the party chief and then prime minister, along with party general secretary Obaidul Quader and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, who allegedly used deadly weapons against civilians.
The ICT chief prosecutor highlighted that the OHCHR’s fact-finding report presents very clear and robust evidence of crimes against humanity, which will be employed by the prosecution at the tribunal.
The report, titled ‘Human Rights Violations and Abuses related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh,’ was published on February 12. It concludes that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the former government, along with its security and intelligence apparatus and violent elements affiliated with the Awami League, systematically engaged in serious human rights violations. These include extrajudicial killings, force violations resulting in serious injuries to thousands, arbitrary arrests, detention, and various forms of ill-treatment.
The OHCHR report suggests that these violations were conducted with the awareness, coordination, and direction of political leaders and senior security officials. It estimates that up to 1,400 individuals may have been killed during the protests, with the majority being victims of military rifles and shotguns loaded with lethal metal pellets commonly used by Bangladesh’s security forces.
The report further indicates that thousands suffered severe injuries, with more than 11,700 arrests and detentions reported by Police and RAB. Fatality figures suggest that approximately 12-13 percent of those killed were children.
Additionally, the report mentions that the Bangladesh Police had provided names and roles of 95 individuals from the police, Awami League, or its affiliated organizations, believed to have armed citizens for violent attacks during the protests. This list includes 10 members of parliament at the time, 14 local Awami League leaders, 16 Jubo League leaders, 16 Chhatra League leaders, and 7 police officers.