Human Rights Watch on Monday said the Bangladeshi government had deployed the army against student protesters, imposed shoot-on-sight curfew orders, and shut down mobile data and internet services.
These actions had followed violent protests against excesses by security forces to quell a peaceful student protest campaign, the New York City-based organization said in a statement.
“With more than 160 people killed, foreign governments should immediately call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her administration to end the use of excessive force against protesters and hold troops to account for human rights abuses.”
“Bangladesh has been troubled for a long time due to unfettered security force abuses against anyone who opposes the Sheikh Hasina government, and we are witnessing that same playbook again, this time to attack unarmed student protesters,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at HRW. “Now is the time for influential governments to press Sheikh Hasina to stop her forces from brutalizing students and other protesters.”
How protests spread
HRW said that in early July, tens of thousands of university students began peacefully protesting after a High Court Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh ruling restoring quotas in government jobs for various categories of people, particularly the 30% for descendants of those who had joined the Liberation War in 1971.
“Students contended that the quota for war veterans would unfairly benefit government supporters. On July 15, members of the Chhatra League, the student group affiliated with Prime Minister Hasina’s Awami League party, backed by police, attacked the protesters, killing six people.”
HRW went on to say that protests had spread to several cities and universities across the country following the July 15 attack, leading to deadly clashes between protesters and the pro-government supporters and security forces, with “hundreds killed or wounded.”
It added that security forces had used live ammunition, tear gas, stun grenades, rubber bullets and shotgun pellets to disperse protesters.
“With the internet shutdown, reliable information is difficult to get; Agence France-Presse said that police and hospitals had reported 163 deaths, but activists fear the number is much higher,” the statement read.
“I have never seen such cruelty,” HRW quoted a Dhaka resident, who recently left the country, as saying. “The security forces just kept on shooting. They were shooting at such young people. They even shot at bystanders if they tried to help protect the students.”
HRW noted that several journalists were injured when assaulted by “security forces and Chhatra League supporters,” adding that the United Nations human rights chief, Volker Türk, had called for restraint and said the “attacks on student protesters are particularly shocking and unacceptable.”
The organization mentioned that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had called for dialogue and promised an inquiry into the July 15 deaths.
“Educational institutions have been closed indefinitely. On July 21, the Supreme Court, hearing an appeal from the government, ruled to reduce the quota in government jobs, allocating 5% for descendants of independence war veterans and 2% for other categories.
“However, students said Sheikh Hasina has lost their trust following a statement that denounced the protesters as political traitors. The students responded by calling her an ‘autocrat.’”
On June 18 night, the Bangladeshi authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown, critically limiting communications, access to information and the ability to share reports of human rights abuses, HRW said.
“Protests continued on July 19 and 20, with several people killed by security forces. After protesters stormed a jail in Narsingdi district and set fire to the state broadcaster’s offices, the government issued curfew orders and deployed the military.
“On July 22, a student leader declared a 48-hour halt to the protests, calling on the government to end the curfew, restore access to the internet and stop targeting the student protesters.”
HRW said the authorities had arrested hundreds of protest participants and organizers, and there were allegations of enforced disappearances and torture in custody.
“Reports trickling out of Bangladesh say that there is ongoing violence in several places where protesters, now joined by members of the political opposition, are clashing with members of the Chhatra League and security forces. Police have backed the Chhatra League attacks instead of arresting those who engaged in violence.”
HRW said the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms prohibited the use of firearms except in cases of imminent threat of death or serious injury.
The authorities had repeatedly denied that Bangladeshi security forces had committed serious human rights violations including extrajudicial killings, torture and enforced disappearances, leading to a climate of impunity, HRW added.
It called on other governments, including the United Kingdom and the European Union, to place Bangladeshi security forces under increased scrutiny following the designation of human rights sanctions by the US government.
“Bangladeshi authorities have flouted international standards in the past and continue to do so during the ongoing protests,” Meenakshi Ganguly said.
“The Sheikh Hasina government should take immediate steps to end the crisis, rein in and punish security forces and her party supporters who have committed serious crimes, and protect the rights of protesting students.”