A Fact-Finding Report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has revealed that around 1,400 people were killed during the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh.
Most of them were shot with military rifles and shotguns loaded with lethal metal pellets, commonly used by the country’s security forces.
The report, titled "Human Rights Violations and Abuses Related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh," says that the former government, its security and intelligence forces, and violent elements linked to the Awami League systematically committed serious human rights violations.
These included extrajudicial killings, excessive use of force that led to severe injuries, mass arbitrary arrests, and widespread torture.
OHCHR found reasonable grounds to believe that these violations were carried out with the knowledge, coordination, and direction of political leaders and senior security officials.
The report estimates that as many as 1,400 people were killed, while thousands more suffered severe, life-altering injuries.
More than 11,700 people were arrested and detained, according to police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
Alarmingly, 12-13% of those killed were children.
Security forces specifically targeted children, subjecting them to arbitrary arrests, inhumane detention, deliberate maiming, killings, and torture.
Women and girls, who were at the forefront of early protests, also faced brutal attacks from security forces and Awami League supporters.
Many were subjected to sexual and gender-based violence, including physical assault, threats of rape, and, in some cases, sexual assault by Awami League supporters.
The report, based on first-hand testimonies, witness accounts, and video evidence, confirms that armed Awami League supporters actively collaborated with police to violently suppress protests.
In many instances, they stood alongside or hid behind police forces before launching attacks.
They also played a key role in stopping, searching, and apprehending protesters, later handing them over to the police in a coordinated manner.
Bangladesh Police provided OHCHR with a list of 95 individuals—including police officers, Awami League members, and affiliated organizations—who allegedly supplied weapons for violent attacks during the protests.
Among them were 10 sitting Members of Parliament, 14 local Awami League leaders, 16 Jubo League leaders, 16 Chhatra League leaders, and seven police officers.
The findings expose a pattern of state-sponsored violence and the direct involvement of political figures in suppressing dissent.
The report calls for urgent international intervention to hold those responsible accountable and to prevent further human rights violations in Bangladesh.
