Sunday, 23 February, 2025
The ousted Awami League (AL) government began deploying militarized forces even before the July-August 2024 protests escalated into violence, according to a fact-finding report by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on human rights violations and abuses in Bangladesh last year.
"Even before the protests intensified and violence broke out, the government had already begun deploying heavily armed paramilitary forces, including RAB, BGB, and Ansar/VDP battalions, signalling a clear intent to militarize its response and use increasingly lethal force," the report stated.
It highlighted that serious human rights violations and abuses committed by security forces and armed Awami League supporters from July 15 to August 5 were part of a calculated effort by the government to retain power at all costs, employing unlawful measures to suppress the protests.
Released on February 12, the OHCHR report titled "Human Rights Violations and Abuses Related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh" revealed that from the outset of July, the then-government and Awami League leadership perceived the protest movement as being "infiltrated" by political opposition. They recognized the potential threat the protests posed to the unpopular government's grip on power.
The report further revealed that, before making her infamous “razakar remarks,” then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had privately and publicly signalled a hard-line approach, which included appointing the feared DGFI military intelligence agency to engage with the student movement.
Senior government officials and Awami League leaders echoed this stance, delegitimizing and intimidating student protesters, setting the stage for the human rights violations that followed.
By mid-July, the former government and Awami League had mobilized an expanding circle of armed actors who used increasingly violent methods to suppress the protests, resulting in systematic and grave human rights abuses.
The report noted that these actions led to hundreds of extrajudicial killings, thousands of injuries, and widespread arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment.
The initial crackdown on protests saw brutal attacks on male and female students peacefully assembling at universities, with these assaults being orchestrated by senior Awami League leaders and government ministers.
The report revealed that, before making her infamous “razakar remarks,” then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had privately and publicly signalled a hard-line approach, which included appointing the feared DGFI military intelligence agency to engage with the student movement.
The report recalled that echoing offensive rhetoric from the Prime Minister about the protesters, Chhatra League President publicly vowed on July 15 that no “razakar” would be allowed on the streets and issued a directive to Chhatra League and other party activists to confront student protesters.
Obaidul Quader, the Awami League’s second-highest official and a senior government minister, reinforced the call for violence. Other ministers followed suit, labelling the students as traitors and “razakars” unworthy of the right to protest.
Armed Awami League supporters continued to target protesters, often in coordination with state security forces. In some instances, Members of Parliament and state officials led these attacks.
"While helicopters hovered above to intimidate protesters, police and RAB on the ground used excessive force, including shooting military-grade rifles and shotguns loaded with live ammunition at protesters, who were often blocking roads but did not pose an imminent threat of death or serious harm," the report stated.
The OHCHR concluded that many protesters felt compelled to defend themselves, leading to unlawful violence by some elements in the crowds, who targeted government buildings, transport infrastructure, and the police. In response, the government used indiscriminate and disproportionate force, including firearms.
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The ousted Awami League (AL) government began deploying militarized forces even before the July-August 2024 protests escalated into violence, according to a fact-finding report by the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on human rights violations and abuses in Bangladesh last year.
"Even before the protests intensified and violence broke out, the government had already begun deploying heavily armed paramilitary forces, including RAB, BGB, and Ansar/VDP battalions, signalling a clear intent to militarize its response and use increasingly lethal force," the report stated.
It highlighted that serious human rights violations and abuses committed by security forces and armed Awami League supporters from July 15 to August 5 were part of a calculated effort by the government to retain power at all costs, employing unlawful measures to suppress the protests.
Released on February 12, the OHCHR report titled "Human Rights Violations and Abuses Related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh" revealed that from the outset of July, the then-government and Awami League leadership perceived the protest movement as being "infiltrated" by political opposition. They recognized the potential threat the protests posed to the unpopular government's grip on power.
The report further revealed that, before making her infamous “razakar remarks,” then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had privately and publicly signalled a hard-line approach, which included appointing the feared DGFI military intelligence agency to engage with the student movement.
Senior government officials and Awami League leaders echoed this stance, delegitimizing and intimidating student protesters, setting the stage for the human rights violations that followed.
By mid-July, the former government and Awami League had mobilized an expanding circle of armed actors who used increasingly violent methods to suppress the protests, resulting in systematic and grave human rights abuses.
The report noted that these actions led to hundreds of extrajudicial killings, thousands of injuries, and widespread arbitrary arrests, detentions, torture, and other forms of ill-treatment.
The initial crackdown on protests saw brutal attacks on male and female students peacefully assembling at universities, with these assaults being orchestrated by senior Awami League leaders and government ministers.
The report revealed that, before making her infamous “razakar remarks,” then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had privately and publicly signalled a hard-line approach, which included appointing the feared DGFI military intelligence agency to engage with the student movement.
The report recalled that echoing offensive rhetoric from the Prime Minister about the protesters, Chhatra League President publicly vowed on July 15 that no “razakar” would be allowed on the streets and issued a directive to Chhatra League and other party activists to confront student protesters.
Obaidul Quader, the Awami League’s second-highest official and a senior government minister, reinforced the call for violence. Other ministers followed suit, labelling the students as traitors and “razakars” unworthy of the right to protest.
Armed Awami League supporters continued to target protesters, often in coordination with state security forces. In some instances, Members of Parliament and state officials led these attacks.
"While helicopters hovered above to intimidate protesters, police and RAB on the ground used excessive force, including shooting military-grade rifles and shotguns loaded with live ammunition at protesters, who were often blocking roads but did not pose an imminent threat of death or serious harm," the report stated.
The OHCHR concluded that many protesters felt compelled to defend themselves, leading to unlawful violence by some elements in the crowds, who targeted government buildings, transport infrastructure, and the police. In response, the government used indiscriminate and disproportionate force, including firearms.
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