A UN human rights mission office to be set up in Bangladesh: Asif Nazrul

Law Adviser Asif Nazrul has said a mission branch of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is going to be established in Bangladesh.

He said this at a press conference at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital on Sunday.

Asif Nazrul said, “The United Nations’ human rights office, OHCHR, expressed interest in opening a mission office in Bangladesh, and they also held discussions on this matter. There has been a significant progress as a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been approved in principle at a meeting of the Advisory Council.”

OHCHR works globally to protect and promote human rights. Its headquarters is in Geneva, Switzerland, and the current High Commissioner is Volker Türk.

Speaking about the UN human rights office, Asif Nazrul said, “OHCHR submitted a very important report on the mass killings and crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising. Our government has been in discussions with them for a long time. Considerable progress has been made in those talks. The MoU has been approved in principle at the Advisory Council meeting. Several advisers will review it further, and it will be sent to Volker Turk after finalisation. If they approves, we hope it will be signed soon, and a UN human rights office will be set up in Bangladesh based on that.”

Asif Nazrul further said that the office will initially be set up for three years. If both parties agree in the second year that renewal is necessary, they can consider it. He added, “We hope that, if serious human rights violations occur during our government’s tenure, our national human rights agencies and the local OHCHR office will play an important role in the future.”

OHCHR works to prevent human rights violations, ensure freedom of expression, and enhance international cooperation. The UN right agency released a 114-page detailed report on crimes against humanity committed during the July uprising in Bangladesh.

The report, based on investigations of incidents between 1 July and 15 August of 2024, stated that evidence of serious human rights violations, including killings, had been found, particularly, highlighting extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, detentions and torture, and the suppression of freedom of expression. The report further said about 1,400 people may have died and thousands more were injured during that time.