UN chief alarmed by reports of excessive use of force by security forces against students in Bangladesh

Expressing deep concern about the situation in Bangladesh, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has reiterated his call for all acts of violence to be investigated promptly, transparently, and impartially, and for those responsible to be held to account.

“He [Antonio Guterres] is also alarmed by emerging reports about the excessive use of force by security forces and credible evidence of human rights violations,” the UN chief’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said at a press briefing yesterday (29 July). 

“The Secretary-General is concerned about reported mass arrests of thousands of young people and political opposition in connection with the current student movement,” added Dujarric.

The UN secretary-general underscored the importance of due process and the right to freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.

“We continue to raise our concerns about the situation in the country with relevant authorities, both in the capital, Dhaka, and here in New York, and we count on Bangladesh to respect and uphold human rights, including as a top troop contributing country to United Nations peacekeeping missions,” Stéphane Dujarric said at the press briefing. 

He continued, “We have taken note of the statements by the Bangladeshi authorities that UN-marked vehicles are no longer being deployed within Bangladesh.

“We remind and reiterate that UN troop- and police-contributing countries are to use UN insignia and equipment marked with the UN insignia only when they are performing mandated tasks as UN peacekeepers in the context of their deployment within a UN peacekeeping operation.”