A United Nations investigation has accused former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government of orchestrating systematic and deadly violence against protesters in a desperate attempt to cling to power, with UN officials warning that such actions could amount to crimes against humanity.
The UN report, released on Monday, details a brutal crackdown on mass anti-government demonstrations in mid-2024, with up to 1,400 people killed, primarily by security forces. Investigators allege that the violence was state-sanctioned and directed by senior political leaders and security officials.
Government-Led Crackdown on Protesters
The student-led protests, initially sparked by controversial civil service quotas, quickly escalated into a nationwide uprising demanding Hasina’s resignation. The unrest intensified after a deadly police crackdown, plunging Bangladesh into its worst political violence since its 1971 war of independence.
According to the UN, the government’s response was a “calculated and well-coordinated strategy” to maintain power at any cost. UN human rights chief Volker Türk stated that officials, security forces, and Awami League-affiliated groups committed “serious and systematic human rights violations”.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe that extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, detentions, and torture were carried out with the knowledge, coordination, and direction of the highest levels of government,” Türk said at a press conference in Geneva.
Atrocities and Widespread Abuses
The UN investigation, which included interviews with over 230 survivors, witnesses, and former officials, found evidence of:
- Protesters being shot at point-blank range
- Targeted killings and deliberate maiming
- Torture and arbitrary detentions
- Children being among the victims, with up to 13% of the dead underage
Former PM Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh by helicopter to India last August, was aware of and involved in these serious offences, the UN report claims.
The investigation also found that security forces deliberately targeted individuals they deemed as opposition supporters, as well as certain religious and ethnic groups. The UN urged further investigations into these incidents.
Caretaker Government Calls for Justice
The UN investigation was requested by Bangladesh’s caretaker leader, Muhammad Yunus, who took office after Hasina’s government was deposed.
Yunus vowed to restore security and dignity to the country, pledging that all perpetrators would be held accountable. However, the UN’s estimated death toll of 1,400 far surpasses the 834 deaths acknowledged by the interim government.
The UN team—comprising human rights investigators, a forensic physician, and a weapons expert—analyzed medical records, photographs, videos, and testimonies to compile the damning report.
“The evidence paints a disturbing picture of rampant state violence and targeted killings,” Türk said.
As Bangladesh moves toward rebuilding under its new leadership, the UN’s findings could pave the way for international legal action against Hasina and her former government.
