UN Reports Possible Death Toll of 1,400 During Student Protests in Bangladesh

The UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR) has released a report indicating that up to 1,400 people may have died in Bangladesh during the suppression of student protests last summer. These protests were directed against a former prime minister who is now out of office, reports NewsBox.

The report from the Geneva-based OHCHR states that security and intelligence services have been "systematically involved" in human rights violations, which may constitute crimes against humanity and require further investigation, according to CNN.

Citing "various credible sources," the OHCHR estimates that during the protests from July 15 to August 5 (the day when then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India due to the uprising), up to 1,400 people were killed. The report also notes that thousands were injured, with most of the fatalities and injuries being a result of shootings by Bangladesh's security forces.

According to the OHCHR, more than 11,700 people were detained. Approximately 12-13% of those killed, or about 180 people, were children. In some instances, "security forces resorted to extrajudicial executions, deliberately shooting unarmed protesters at close range".

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk stated that there is evidence that "extrajudicial killings, large-scale arbitrary arrests and detentions, as well as torture" were conducted with the knowledge and coordination of political leadership and senior security officials with the aim of suppressing the protests.

A UN fact-finding mission was sent to Bangladesh at the invitation of the interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, to investigate the uprising and the harsh repression. Investigators reported that the interim government made 100 arrests in connection with attacks on religious and indigenous groups. The report notes that "many responsible for acts of vengeance, violence, and attacks on specific groups appear to continue to act with impunity".