UN team to visit Bangladesh to probe killings of protestors during students’ agitation

Dhaka: A team of UN experts would soon visit Bangladesh to investigate the killings of the protestors ahead of and in the aftermath of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation last week, it was announced on Wednesday.

“The UN human rights chief, @volker_turk has made a phone call to Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday,” Chief Adviser of the interim government of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus announced on his X handle.

"A team of UN experts would soon visit the country to investigate [the killings]," Volker Turk told Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus today during a phone conversation.

Bangladesh descended into chaos last week after Prime Minister Hasina resigned and fled to India while the Army stepped in to fill the power vacuum on August 5.

Before that, the anti-government protests had killed more than 500 people in a fortnight.

Yunus, who took oath as the Chief Adviser on August 8, said in a connecting post on X: The UN rights chief said a UN-led investigation will be launched very soon to probe the killing of the protesters during the Student Revolution.

Human rights will be the cornerstone of his administration and the protection of every citizen is the top most priority of the government, Yunus, who has sought UN cooperation to uphold human rights, said.

“The Chief Adviser thanked him and his long-time friend Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, for supporting the Bangladesh students’ revolution and championing their rights during unprecedented and devastating killings of student protestors,” Yunus said in the series of posts.