Dhaka: Around 1,400 people were killed during the July uprising, with the majority being victims of military rifles and shotguns loaded with lethal metal pellets, according to the Fact-Finding Report of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the report titled ‘Human Rights Violations and Abuses related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh’ was released today. The OHCHR report indicates that the former Government, in collaboration with its security and intelligence apparatus and violent elements associated with the Awami League, systematically engaged in serious human rights violations. These included extrajudicial killings, force violations resulting in serious injuries to thousands of protesters, arbitrary arrests, detentions, and torture.
The report further suggests that these violations were conducted with the knowledge and coordination of political leaders and senior security officials. It is estimated that the vast majority of the 1,400 fatalities resulted from the use of military rifles and shotguns by Bangladesh’s security forces. The report also highlights that thousands suffered severe, life-altering injuries, with over 11,700 arrests and detentions reported by Police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Fatality figures indicate that approximately 12-13 percent of the deceased were children.
The report elaborates that children were subjected to targeted killings, maiming, arbitrary arrest, detention in inhumane conditions, and torture. Women and girls, particularly those leading early protests, were victims of attacks by security forces and Awami League supporters, facing sexual and gender-based violence, including threats of rape and, in documented cases, sexual assault.
Based on testimonies and analysis of images and videos, the OHCHR ascertained that Awami League supporters, often armed, acted in coordination with Police forces against protesters. These supporters engaged in unlawful violence to suppress the protests and were seen lining up with police or using police lines for cover to launch attacks. They also stopped, searched, and apprehended protesters, handing them over to the police in an organized manner.
The Bangladesh Police provided OHCHR with details of 95 individuals from the police, Awami League, or affiliated organizations involved in arming citizens for violent attacks during the protests. This list included 10 members of parliament, 14 local Awami League leaders, 16 Jubo League leaders, 16 Chhatra League leaders, and 7 police members.