The UN fact‐finding mission’s report has found that the Hasina government had authorized security forces to use deadly force against protesters on the evening of July 18.
The report focused on allegations of human rights violations that occurred between July 1 and August 15 last year during protests led by the Anti‐Discrimination Student Movement demanding reform of the quota system in government jobs.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk delivered the opening remarks at the report launch in Geneva yesterday. He was joined by Rory Mungoven, head of the Asia-Pacific Division of OHCHR, and Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner.
According to the report, the independent fact‐finding mission uncovered evidence of serious human rights violations and noted that the former government, its security and intelligence forces, and violent groups affiliated with the Awami League were involved in systematic and severe abuses during this period.
The mission began its investigation on September 16 last year and released its report five months later from Geneva, Switzerland. Based on death reports compiled from both government and non-government sources—along with other available evidence—OHCHR estimates that as many as 1,400 people may have been killed during the protests, most of them by lethal metal pellets fired from military rifles and shotguns used by Bangladesh security forces.
Thousands more were seriously injured, with many suffering lifelong disabilities. Reported figures indicate that approximately 12–13% of those killed were children. Police and other security forces also targeted children for deliberate killing, intentional maiming, arbitrary arrest, detention in inhumane conditions, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment.
Bangladesh Police reported that 44 of its officers were killed.
OHCHR stated that the UN Human Rights Office had released a comprehensive, in-depth report on the human rights violations and abuses related to the protests in Bangladesh last year, drawing on more than 250 interviews with victims, witnesses, medics, and senior officials—as well as various pieces of digital evidence. The team also received thousands of submissions from individuals in Bangladesh.
At the request of Dr Mohammed Yunus, chief advisor of the interim government, the UN Human Rights Office deployed a fact‐finding team to Bangladesh in September 2024.
At the report launch, Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the Office, said: “Following the student‐led protests in Bangladesh between July 1 and August 15, 2024, it was the interim government itself that requested the deployment of a fact‐finding mission. Consequently, the UN Human Rights Office sent this mission on September 16. The mission was supported by a forensic physician, a weapons expert, a gender expert, an open‐source analyst, among others.”
She added: “The team visited hotspots and protest sites—including universities, hospitals, and key areas in different districts of Bangladesh. We also received over 900 submissions from individuals.”
Alexander El Jundi, chief of the Investigation Support Section, Human Rights Inquiries Branch, explained: “We also have specialist expertise. Our forensic pathologist was able to visit hospitals, speak with doctors, medical staff, and victims, and—more importantly—examine medical records and analyze images of bodies and wounds to ascertain the mode of injury and death, thereby reconstructing events.”
Provocation and Attacks
The protests were triggered by the High Court’s decision to reinstate a quota system in public service jobs, but they were rooted in much broader grievances arising from destructive, corrupt politics and governance that had entrenched economic inequalities.
According to the report, from mid-July the former government and the Awami League mobilized their armed workers and initially incited supporters of the Chhatra League—including government ministers—to suppress the protests. They attacked men and women participating in peaceful demonstrations on and around the university campus with blunt and sharp weapons, as well as some firearms.
When the protesting students defended themselves, the government responded with even greater violence. In close coordination with armed Awami League supporters, the police violently suppressed a large demonstration at Dhaka University on July 17, as well as other peaceful student protests at various locations, using unnecessary and disproportionate force—a clear violation of international human rights law.
Following this incident, students called for a complete shutdown of Dhaka and other cities, with support from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami. In response, the government escalated violence against the protesters and their organizers, resulting in violations of the right to life, the right to peaceful assembly, and the right to personal freedom and security.
At one stage of the movement, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and police helicopters attempted to intimidate protesters from the air. In addition, police, RAB, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) forces were deployed against the protesters, armed with military rifles, shotguns that fired lethal metal pellets, and less-lethal weapons. Some protesters attempted to block roads and certain establishments; however, they generally conducted themselves peacefully, although some hurled bricks and sticks in response to the attacks.
Human Rights Violations
Intelligence services were part of a systematic and organized effort to cover up serious human rights violations. The NTMC, in conjunction with the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, worked under the direction of the Cabinet to prevent protesters from using electronic communications to organize their activities.
At the same time, the Cabinet ordered a strategically timed and effective internet shutdown to limit both the scale of the ongoing abuses and the protesters’ ability to disseminate information via the internet and social media. In parallel, the DGFI, NSI, and RAB pressured media outlets not to fully and accurately report on the mass protests and their violent repression. The DGFI also collaborated with the police to intimidate victims, their families, and lawyers, ensuring their silence.
According to the report, these human rights violations were carried out under the direction of a political leader. Based on direct testimony from senior officials and other internal sources, OHCHR ascertained that the concerted and systematic efforts by the police, paramilitary, military, and intelligence agencies—as well as violent Awami League activists—to commit serious human rights violations occurred with the full knowledge, coordination, and direction of the political leadership.
The then Prime Minister and Home Minister worked separately to coordinate the security and intelligence agencies, each receiving regular reports on the situation from multiple sources. The investigation report, citing testimony from senior government officials, further stated that reports submitted to the Prime Minister on July 21 and in early August specifically raised concerns about the use of excessive force.
Both political leaders and high-ranking police and military officials visited various areas, where they learned firsthand about the human rights abuses. In addition, the BGB, RAB, DGFI, the police, and its detective branch were involved in serious human rights violations against protesters and ordinary citizens—including extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions—with the political leadership issuing direct orders and other directives authorizing and directing these actions.
Human rights violations have escalated due to outdated laws and policies, corrupt governance structures, and the erosion of the rule of law. These include the disproportionate use of force against protesters, the militarization of the police, the politicization of the security and justice sectors, and institutional impunity. The previous government relied on and expanded an extensive legal and institutional framework to suppress peaceful civil and political dissent. These factors led to chaotic—and in some cases, violent—protests by anti-government demonstrators. The report found patterns of security forces deliberately and unlawfully killing or maiming protesters, including incidents in which individuals were shot at point-blank range.
“Based on our team’s work, we found that Bangladesh’s former government and security intelligence services, alongside violent elements associated with the Awami League, systematically engaged in a range of serious human rights violations. The testimonies and evidence we gathered paint a disturbing picture of rampant state violence and targeted killings, which are among the most serious violations of human rights and may also constitute international crimes,” said Shamdasani, the UN Human Rights Office’s chief spokesperson.