The interim government "must ensure" that violent crimes that have targeted supporters of the Awami League, police officers or members of distinct religious and indigenous groups are promptly and independently investigated with due diligence, and identified perpetrators brought to justice, said a UN report released on Wednesday.
The UN human rights body calls for ensuring this in accordance with its human rights obligation to protect the rights to life and security of a person against real risks of serious abuses by others.
While the interim government has not provided the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) with requested information on its accountability efforts in this area, it has publicly reported to have carried out at least 100 arrests specifically in relation to communal attacks on minorities, the report reads.
The interim government has not yet published any comprehensive figures on arrests in relation to revenge violence against Awami League supporters or police officers, said the UN in its report.
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Bangladesh’s former government and security and intelligence services, alongside violent elements associated with the Awami League party, systematically engaged in a range of serious human rights violations during last year’s student-led protests, according to the report by the UN Human Rights Office.
Drawing on testimony of senior officials and other evidence, it also found an official policy to attack and violently repress anti-government protesters and sympathisers, raising concerns as to crimes against humanity requiring urgent further criminal investigation.
Based on deaths reported by various credible sources, the report estimates that as many as 1,400 people may have been killed between 1 July and 15 August, and thousands were injured, the vast majority of whom were shot by Bangladesh’s security forces.
Of these, the report indicates that as many as 12-13 percent of those killed were children.
Bangladesh Police reported that 44 of its officers were killed, according to the report.