By P.K.Balachandran
Colombo, August 1: The Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh is rapidly coming under pressure from the international community over the repressive measures it had adopted to quell the students’ agitation against quotas in recruitment to government service.
Bangladesh has been referred to the International Criminal Court for Crimes Against Humanity.
Australian lawyer Alison Battisson filed a communique with the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, asking for a preliminary examination of crimes against humanity (murder, imprisonment, and inhumane acts) in Bangladesh.
More than 200 students and others were killed in ding dong battles between the agitators and the police for days together all over Bangladesh in July. More than 10,000 were arrested and slapped with cases.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has set up a three-man commission on rioting, has sought UN participation in it, and has banned the militant Islamic group, Jamaat-e-Islami.
UN Probe
Meanwhile the UN said that it is “ready to assist” Bangladesh in conducting an inquiry into the violence and fatalities.
Stephane Dujarric, a spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, made the comment while responding to a question at a press briefing on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had urged the UN and other international bodies for cooperation in the investigation.
“We want a proper and thorough investigation into the incidents and to ensure that those responsible are punished,” she said.
The government has already formed a three-man commission to investigate the violence. It will evaluate the extent of damage to properties owned by government, semi-government, autonomous offices, institutions, government companies, statutory authorities, corporations, and private entities.
Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman of the Supreme Court’s High Court Division will lead the commission, with Justices K M Zahid Sarwar and Mohammad Showkat Ali Chowdhury also from the High Court Division.
The panel has been given 45 working days to deliver its report.
UNHRC Fact Finding Team
Earlier, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, sent a letter to Hasina offering to send a fact-finding mission to Bangladesh surrounding the violence and fatalities.
When asked about the UN’s plans for an ‘independent investigation,’ he said: “We are, of course, always ready to assist governments anywhere who may request help with different issues. But independent investigations would require mandates from a legislative body of this organisation, as in any of these cases.”
According to the UN’s official website, investigations run by the organisation’s headquarters require the approval of a public statutory body such as the UN General Assembly, Security Council, or the International Court of Justice.
“Governments, whether in Bangladesh or anywhere else, need to protect the rights of people to protest peacefully and the right of journalists to do their jobs in a free and unfettered manner,” Volker Turk added.
EU Postpones Talks
The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed serious concern at the announcement of a ‘shoot on sight policy’ and unlawful killings perpetrated in recent days by the authorities in Bangladesh.
The EU has announced the postponement of talks on a new partnership and cooperation pact with Bangladesh, citing concerns over recent violence in the country.
A spokesperson of the EU who confirmed the development to the Dhaka daily Prothom Alo through an email, said that no new date has been fixed for the talks that were initially scheduled to begin in September.
The European Investment Bank signed an agreement with Bangladesh to finance Euro 400 million in renewable energy projects in Bangladesh, for reducing climate change impacts and transforming the power sector.
There were some more agreements worth Euro 70 million to cooperate in education, beautification, eco-friendly construction, e-governance, and prevention of gender-based violence.
Jamaat-e-Islami Banned
On Thursday the government banned the radical Islamic organization Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir, claiming that it converted a movement of university students into a bid to seize power through violent mass action.
Sheikh Hasina said these two organizations will be treated militant organizations and dealt with as such.
In 2013, the Election Commission had scrapped the registration of Jamaat following a verdict of the Bangladesh “International Crimes Tribunal” set up to try those involved with the Pakistan army to suppress the Bangladesh freedom movement in 1971. Many top leaders of the Jamaat were executed on charges of crimes against humanity.
The Jamaat appealed against the de-registration at the High Court. On 19 November 2023, the Supreme Court rejected the appeal.
Anarchists’ Role
At a meeting with the Indian High Commissioner, Pranay Verma, Sheikh Hasina said that anarchists had tried to create Sri Lanka type of mayhem in Bangladesh to topple the government.
“It (recent mayhem) was not a (normal) movement at all. At one stage, it turned into almost a terrorist-like attack,” she said.
Hasina told the Indian envoy that the “doors of Bangladesh are open for strengthening connectivity among Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Bhutan.”
Verma told Hasina that India, being the closest neighbour, would always support the Bangladesh government and its people in their bid to realise a progressive and prosperous Bangladesh
Repression Continues
Analysis of 150 deaths showed that 113 were young and 45 were students. 424 are receiving treatment with 278 undergoing eye surgery.
Around 78 per cent of the people killed during clashes centering quota reform protests had lethal bullet wounds on their bodies. The majority of them were hit by bullets in the head, chest, back and abdomen.
A total of 212 deaths were reported so far during the quota reform movement. Analyzing deaths of 175 of them, it was learnt that 137 had wounds of lethal bullets and 22 had wounds from shotgun pellets. Of the remaining victims, bodies of 10 had marks of beating and four died in arson attacks on vehicles and establishments. Two drowned after being chased by the police.
An estimate of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said a total of 2,630 people have been arrested and sent to court in 243 cases related to the quota reform movement in the capital until Monday. Of those, 2,284 people (86.84 per cent of the total arrests) were found to have no political identity. That is, they have no affiliation with any political party.
Relevant people said most of them are students, labourers and common people.
Among the arrested 269 are leaders and activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), 63 are leaders and activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, 10 are Shibir men. Apart from this, there are three people involved with the politics of Gono Odhikar Parishad and one person from JP. The percentage of political persons of the total arrests is just 13.16.
Asked why so many common people were arrested though the government and the police repeatedly claimed that various political parties were involved in the violence during the quota movement, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police joint commissioner (crime) Liton Kumar Saha told Prothom Alo: “There are instructions from the highest level of the police not to harass any innocent person who does not have any evidence of involvement in violence or crime. We are strictly monitoring these issues. That is why no one is being arrested without evidence.”
END
