LONDON: Amnesty International has called upon the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to immediately end the illegal crackdown on the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
It also urged the Bangladeshi authorities to conduct a thorough, effective, independent and impartial investigation into the deaths and hold the perpetrators accountable.
The rights organization demanded the Bangladeshi government to urgently lift the “shoot on sight” curfew orders and the blanket ban on protests and release all those who have been arrested for exercising their rights to freedom of expression.
Amnesty International in its latest report said Bangladesh is witnessing the deadliest crackdown against protesters in the country’s post-independence history. The heavy-handed response from the authorities has resulted in the deaths of more than 197 students, journalists, and bystanders, and wounded thousands since 15 July 2024 as the crackdown intensified.
It noted that since 1 July 2024, university-level students have started protests to demand reforms in the existing quota system which reserves 30 percent of government jobs for descendants of war veterans saying that it favours supporters of the ruling party.
It added the protests met with a severe crackdown from the authorities and the ensuing violence has killed more than 197 people, with 75 deaths reported in one day, thousands more people wounded and around 61,000 believed to have been charged with violence.
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Amnesty International’s investigations show that security forces responded to the protests with unlawful, and lethal, force. It added the Bangladesh authorities have failed to stop attacks against protesters allegedly carried out by members of the Bangladesh Chatra League (BCL), a group affiliated with the ruling party.
It said the rights and safety of Bangladeshis are at serious risk and immediate action is needed to hold the authorities to account.
