Govt’s response to UNHRC chief’s letter
The United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) is deeply concerned over the reports of excessive use of force to contain the quota protesters, subsequent casualties, arbitrary arrest and torture. A reform of the overall system is required to uphold freedom of speech and rights to hold rallies and meetings and prevent such incidents of torture in the future.
UNHRC high commissioner made these remarks in his letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 23 July regarding the situation that emerged following the violence centering the quota reform movement.
In response to the letter addressing the prime minister, Bangladesh foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen sent a letter to Volker Turk on 29 July.
Addressing the UNHRC chief, he wrote, “There needs to be a clear distinction made between the weeks-long students' movement and the terrorist activities that were perpetrated by the said third forces taking advantage of the situation. In the interest of conducting the ongoing judicial and administrative investigation processes, it would be appreciated if the Office and the related UN Human Rights mechanisms could refrain from making any conclusive statements that may otherwise influence or shape public perception, including in the international media. It would be advisable not to resort to sensational public statements based on one-sided reports before allowing the real picture to emerge through the well-established investigation procedures in the country.”
Earlier, in the letter addressing the prime minister, UNHRC high commissioner Volker Turk wrote, despite complete internet blackout and interruption in the communication system his office received several reports of people being killed and injured centering the student movement demanding quota reform in government jobs.
As per the information they got, the law enforcement agencies applied excessive force, including opening fire towards unarmed student, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and torment.
“We understand that many people were subjected to violent attacks by groups reportedly affiliated with the Government, and no effort was made to protect them,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Deployment of paramilitary forces like armed police, BGB and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) creates more risk; the UNHRC chief wrote adding they are also aware about the arrest of opposition leaders and activists which further worsened the situation.
UNHRC High commissioner further wrote, “Bangladesh is a staunch supporter of world peace and security as the largest contributor of personnel to UN peacekeeping missions.”
Volker Turk further wrote, “In order to begin to rebuild gravely-damaged public trust and create an environment conducive to public dialogue on the underlying concerns that led to this wave of violence, I urge the Government to ensure that all operations of law enforcement agencies are conducted strictly in line with international human rights norms and standards, particularly regarding the policing of protests, including use of force.”
The High Commissioner called for an impartial, independent and transparent investigation into all alleged human rights violations, offering his Office’s support in this regard.
He urged the authorities to provide guarantees of non-recurrence and an assurance there would be no reprisals against those involved in the protests. Longer-term, he added, comprehensive security sector reform would also be important to prevent future abuses and safeguard the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association.
He also wrote that the UNHRC is ready to help Bangladesh to rise from the ongoing crisis and it is ready to send an investigative mission to neutralise the tension and regain confidence of all stakeholders.
In response to that, foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen wrote, “The movement waged by students of certain public universities seeking reforms of the public service quota system was carried out peacefully without any disruption or impediment for three weeks at a stretch. During this time, the government made efforts to engage with the self-assigned coordinators of the movement, and called upon students to wait for the judicial process before the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court to be exhausted so that the quota reform issue could be resolved without the need for interference by the Executive. In parallel, the government and law enforcement agencies ensured that all protests, sits-in, rallies and so on staged by the students could take place in a safe and secure environment.”
“Nevertheless, the movement was eventually infiltrated by third forces comprising elements from some opposition political parties, religious extremist groups, and banned terrorist outfits. The third forces were led once again by the BNP-Jamaat (Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami) alliance, along with their respective students' wings. These forces seized the opportunity to misguide the protesting students by spreading misinformation, fanning provocative slogans and rhetoric, and inciting sporadic clashes and violence in certain University campuses. The situation soon exacerbated to the extent that some lives were unfortunately lost and certain egregious brutalities occurred under the cover of the students' movement. From this point onwards, the situation went outside the control of the protesting students.
The foreign secretary further wrote, “It would be expected of the Office not to make sweeping comments about the independent judiciary and professional security sector in the country by way of joining certain local and international entities to malign and weaken these critical State institutions. It would be regrettable if OHCHR were to be considered to be aligning with the internationally financed and mobilised smear campaign being conducted against Bangladesh's security and law enforcement agencies with the ulterior motive of creating political and social upheaval in the country.”