UN to Investigate Alleged Rights Violations in Bangladesh Amid Student Protests

The UN human rights office is sending a fact-finding team to Bangladesh to investigate alleged abuses by security forces during student-led protests against the former government. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus invited the team after becoming interim leader. Nearly 650 deaths have been reported since the protests turned violent in July.

The United Nations human rights office announced Friday its decision to deploy a fact-finding team to Bangladesh to probe into alleged rights abuses by security forces. These actions were reportedly taken to suppress student-led protests against the former government that escalated over the summer.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, received the invitation from Muhammad Yunus, Bangladesh's interim leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. The fact-finding mission is expected to commence in the coming weeks.

The protests have resulted in nearly 650 deaths since they became violent on July 15. After the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5, additional violence further increased the death toll. An advance team from the UN has already visited and secured commitments of full cooperation from student leaders, government officials, and security personnel.

(With inputs from agencies.)