Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the Bangladesh government to set up an independent probe into the deaths and injuries that may have occurred during Hefazat-e-Islam’s rally in Dhaka on May 5-6 and the subsequent protests elsewhere.
HRW, a New York-based international rights organisation, said in a statement on Saturday the commission should also investigate the violence that killed dozens in February, March and April following the announcement of verdicts by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
The exact number of deaths during the May 5-6 protest remains unclear with figures ranging from the official government figure of 11 to Hefazat’s estimate of thousands.
Independent news sources put the figure at approximately 50, with others succumbing to injuries later. The dead include several security personnel.
“Bangladesh will see a plethora of demonstrations this year in response to additional verdicts from the ICT and in the run-up-to the national elections,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.
“Without an independent investigation, accountability and improved policing methods, we could see serial bloodbaths.”
The opposition parties, including Hefazat, have already announced several protests scheduled over the next week. A flashpoint could be the reaction to the May 9 death penalty handed down by the ICT against Mohamed Kamaruzzaman, a leading official of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Past war crimes verdicts have been a catalyst for protests and violence throughout Bangladesh, the statement said.
Human Rights Watch called on the opposition parties such as the BNP and Jamaat as well as independent organisations such as Hefazat to take steps to deter their supporters from carrying out attacks on law enforcement officers or members of the public with different political views.
Human Rights Watch called on the government to publicly order the security forces to follow the United Nations basic principles on the use of force and firearms by law enforcement officials, which state that security forces shall “apply non-violent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms.”
“The Bangladeshi government has a responsibility to victims, whether protesters, bystanders or police, to ensure that an effective investigation is carried out into each death,” Adams said.
HRW also said the claims of “genocide” by Hefazat and other opposition parties are unfounded and have only served to heighten tensions.
“The toxic swirl of rumour and rhetoric surrounding the protest of May 5-6 will only get worse unless the government acts quickly in a transparent manner.” Adams said.
The rights watchdog expressed concern that Hefazat recruited boys from madrasas to participate in the “siege.” Many of the boys were unaware of the risks of marching into Dhaka. Independent journalists told HRW after the protests were broken up they encountered groups of boys who had never been to Dhaka before and were terrified by the experience of seeing dead bodies and large-scale violence.
The boys asked journalists for directions to bus stations so they could go home. They were no longer accompanied by adults.
“Putting children in harm’s way is extremely irresponsible,” Adams said. “Hefazat can’t credibly claim that it didn’t understand the risks.”
“The government’s claims to be the most open and democratic in Bangladesh’s history are undermined by censorship of critical voices,” Adams said. “The government can take reasonable steps to pre-empt incitement to violence, but it is not necessary to close TV stations to do this.”
