Reacting to the deadliest day of protests in Bangladesh with 32 deaths in a single day amid anti-quota reform protests and ongoing violence within the nation, Babu Ram Pant, Deputy Regional Director for South Asia at Amnesty Worldwide mentioned:
“The rising loss of life toll is a surprising testimony to the Bangladeshi authorities’ absolute intolerance of protests and dissent. The illegal use of drive towards protesters demonstrates a callous disregard for the best to life and a dismal failure of legislation enforcement to satisfy their obligations underneath home and worldwide human rights legislation.
“Amnesty Worldwide has repeatedly known as on the federal government of Bangladesh to undertake a rights-respectful strategy to policing protests. Legislation enforcement authorities should instantly finish their illegal use of deadly drive towards protesters and be certain that folks's proper to peaceable meeting is assured in legislation and follow.
The rising loss of life toll is a surprising testomony to the Bangladeshi authorities' absolute intolerance of protests and dissent.
Babu Ram Pant, deputy regional director for South Asia at Amnesty Worldwide
“The authorities should instantly launch an unbiased and neutral investigation into the deaths and maintain all these accountable to account.” Victims of illegal police violence should obtain full reparations from the state.
“The arbitrary imposition of a whole web shutdown throughout the nation and a blanket ban on protests by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional restricts the rights to freedom of expression and peaceable meeting.” Such blanket restrictions are opposite to Bangladesh’s worldwide obligations as a state celebration of the Worldwide Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“It’s reckless to impede entry to data throughout every week of escalating violence and crackdown on scholar protests throughout the nation. Blanket closures impression folks's security, mobility and livelihoods whereas creating instability and panic, additional eroding their belief in authorities. The ban have to be urgently lifted and all individuals detained or arrested solely for exercising their proper to peaceable protest ought to be instantly and unconditionally launched.”
background
Since mass protests towards quota reform started on July 1, 2024, almost 39 deaths have been reported in Bangladesh through the ongoing violence.
Any legislation enforcement intervention associated to protests ought to initially goal to defuse tensions. Moreover, authorities should exhaust all non-violent measures earlier than resorting to violence. When using violent means is totally vital, authorities could solely use the minimal quantity of drive vital to attain a official goal and should present advance warning. Firearms will not be an acceptable software for policing protests and have to be restricted to focused people in circumstances the place it’s important to face imminent menace of loss of life or severe harm.
On July 17, 2024, Amnesty Worldwide reviewed proof of using illegal drive towards scholar protesters through the ongoing “Bangla Blockade” protests over quota reform and known as on the federal government to make sure that protesters are shielded from additional hurt.