The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (FORUM-ASIA) and Front Line Defenders (FLD) are deeply concerned over the violence and excessive use of force and firearms by security forces against student human rights defenders and university students protesting against Bangladesh’s quota system in government jobs.
In Bangladesh, 30 per cent of first and second-class government jobs are reserved for the children and grandchildren of ‘freedom fighters’ who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.
This crackdown has resulted in more than thousands of injured protestors and at least 39 deaths, including many students and a journalist.
Student-led anti-quota protests
The quota system was abolished in 2018 following widespread protests. However, on 5 June 2024, it was reinstated by the Bangladesh High Court.
In response to the reinstatement, protests erupted across Bangladeshi universities, with students demanding the cancellation of the High Court order and calling the quota system discriminatory.
Student protestors argue that the quota system benefits supporters of the ruling Awami League party and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was re-elected amid a crackdown on the political opposition, an election boycott and low voter turnout.
Students demand a shift towards a merit-based system while retaining quotas for ethnic minorities and persons with disabilities. Despite the top court temporarily suspending the quotas, protesters vow to push on until the scheme is fully reformed.
Violence against protestors
The protests broke out on 1 July 2024, quickly spreading across university campuses.
Members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL)—the Awami League’s student wing—reportedly attacked protestors with sticks, bricks, crude bombs, and iron rods with impunity.
The violent attacks were caught on camera, showing harrowing images of stick-wielding men assaulting women student activists.
A group of Awami League supporters also stormed the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital on 15 July where injured students were being treated, disrupting medical services and causing widespread panic among medical staff and patients.
Meanwhile, the police reportedly used shotgun pellets, teargas shells, and sound grenades against protestors. They allegedly shot unarmed protestors, leaving at least seven persons dead, including three students.
Journalists covering the protests have also been injured.
Four people, including Akhtar Hossain, the former leader of Dhaka University Central Students’ Union, were detained by the police when they attempted to stage a sit-in in support of the student protests and to condemn the killings.
The police also raided the headquarters of the lead opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and arrested seven members of its student wing.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called the protestors ‘Razakars,’ referring to Pakistani collaborators in the 1971 genocide. According to student leaders, Hasina’s comments encouraged BCL members to attack protestors.
Intimidation, internet disruption
Earlier, there were reports of targeted internet disruptions affecting students from Dhaka University, Rajshahi University and Jahangirnagar University. However, on 18 July, mobile internet services were shut down in most of the country, to the extent of complete loss of connectivity.
Students have been threatened with suspension and expulsion for simply participating in the protests. College authorities have allegedly instructed students to avoid sharing information on social media.
These actions directly violate students’ right to protest and the freedoms of peaceful assembly, association, and expression. As the protests intensify, the government has ordered schools and universities to shut down until further notice.
Call to action
FORUM-ASIA and FLD urge the Government of Bangladesh to uphold people’s fundamental rights and freedoms, particularly peaceful assembly, association, and expression.
The violent repression of student protests in Bangladesh undermines the country’s constitutional protections, including Article 37 which guarantees the right to peaceful assembly. Additionally, it violates Bangladesh’s international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which the country is a state party.
We urge the government to safeguard protestors and student HRDs from threats, reprisals, and violence. Likewise, the government must respect people’s right to peaceful protest. The state must refrain from sponsoring or facilitating any attacks against protestors and must ensure that all state bodies, including the police and paramilitary forces, exercise utmost restraint.
The use of excessive force and firearms, including shooting at unarmed protestors, is a blatant disregard for the right to life and appears to be a “shoot to kill” approach in dealing with protests. Internet shutdowns and social media restrictions infringe upon people’s freedom of expression and right to access information.
We call for a prompt, independent and impartial investigation into these violations. Perpetrators should be held to account and victims and their families should be afforded reparations.
This a developing story. Facts & statistics are as of 18 July 2024. We will closely monitor the situation and update accordingly.
For the PDF version of this statement, click here
This post was originally published on FORUM-ASIA.