Human rights violations to retain power!

The Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India, has been accused of human rights violations, especially after the student uprising. The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in a recently published fact-finding report that the government used excessive force to suppress the movement. In this, additional police, RAB, BGB and intelligence agencies together tortured the protesters.

The UN report said that the government used extrajudicial killings, mass arrests, obstruction of medical services, shutdown of internet connections, attacks on journalists and torture of women and children to suppress the movement. The report also said that from July 15 to August 5, Chhatra League members attacked students with weapons and sticks in the Dhaka University area and various places in Dhaka, during which female students were subjected to sexual violence and beatings.

In addition to intimidating the protesters, the government also obstructed medical care for the injured at hospitals. Journalists were attacked and pressured to spread false reports against the protests. Nearly 1,400 people were killed and more than 11,700 were arrested, many of them children.

In addition, attempts were made to silence the protesters by shutting down the internet and social media. The government also threatened the media for speaking out against the government.

The UN report said that the full picture of human rights violations during this period has emerged and detailed various repressive programs during Sheikh Hasina’s rule. The report will serve as evidence in international courts.

It highlights a sad reality for the people of Bangladesh and the world, where peaceful protests and democratic rights have been suppressed.