A UN fact-finding report has revealed that approximately 1,400 people lost their lives during the July 2024 uprising in Bangladesh, with the majority killed by military rifles and shotguns loaded with lethal metal pellets.
The report, released by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), highlights systematic human rights violations by security forces and political groups.
Titled Human Rights Violations and Abuses Related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh, the report states that the former government, along with security and intelligence agencies and violent elements linked to the Awami League, engaged in widespread extrajudicial killings, severe injuries to thousands of protesters, mass arrests, and acts of torture.
OHCHR asserts that these violations were carried out with the knowledge and coordination of political leaders and senior security officials. The report estimates that 1,400 people were killed, with security forces primarily using military rifles and shotguns with metal pellets. Thousands more sustained severe injuries, many with life-altering consequences.
According to police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB records), over 11,700 people were arrested. Shockingly, around 12–13% of those killed were children. The report documents that security forces deliberately targeted children, subjecting them to killings, maiming, arbitrary arrests, and torture.
Women and girls, particularly active in the early protests, also faced brutal attacks. The report details instances of sexual and gender-based violence, including physical assault, rape threats, and documented cases of sexual violence perpetrated by Awami League supporters.
The findings further reveal that armed Awami League supporters, often working in coordination with the police, used extensive violence to suppress demonstrations. Video and eyewitness testimonies confirm that these groups stood alongside security forces, assisted in attacks, and even detained protesters before handing them over to the police.
In a significant disclosure, Bangladesh Police provided OHCHR with the names of 95 individuals linked to supplying weapons for attacks on protesters. Among them were 10 former members of parliament, 14 local Awami League leaders, 16 Jubo League leaders, 16 Chhatra League leaders, and seven police officers.
The report’s findings underscore the severity of human rights abuses during the protests and call for accountability for those responsible.
