Bangladesh is going through one of the most critical periods in history. In the last few days, many, especially students, have reportedly been killed by the state machinery to suppress peaceful movement of unarmed students demanding reform to the discriminatory quota system.
The disputed quota system provides special privileges to certain groups in joining public services depriving the meritorious students.
In 2018, students had successfully led such a movement, and this was reneged by the Bangladesh government and the Supreme Court this year sparking a new wave of protests. Initially peaceful, the protesters were reportedly provoked by the government including the head of the government.
The government, instead of resolving the tension through discussion, made provocative comments and adopted repressive methods to calm the dissent. Law enforcement agencies cracked tear gases and sound grenades to disperse the students and also opened fire costing lives and further aggravating the situation. The government closed all academic institutions across the country but the protesting students occupied the streets demanding justice for the killings.
On the night of July 18, the entire country went into an information technology blackout with internet, phone and other forms of communication cut off. Bangladesh is still severed from the outside world.
Further, failing to calm the public wrath, on July 19, the Bangladesh government deployed the army, and a nationwide curfew has been imposed. There is now a ban on public assembly.
Friends of the Earth Asia Pacific is alarmed over the escalating violence and killings and demands that the government of Bangladesh immediately halts any further application of any coercive forces against the agitating students. The government of Bangladesh should immediately restore its communication and network system to ensure flow of information to its citizens and to the wider international community.
Finally, we urge the United Nations to launch an independent investigation immediately into human rights abuses by security forces against unarmed protesters in Bangladesh. Many of these are the same security forces who make up a large contingent of the UN Peacekeeping and as a result, the UN should be aware of possible human rights violations by these agencies. We also urge the attention of the UN Special Procedures, especially the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Irene Khan and Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association, Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, into this matter.
