A United Nations fact-finding team will travel to Bangladesh next week to investigate alleged atrocities committed during the unrest that led to the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to a statement released by the country’s interim government on Thursday.
The UN mission will focus on the events of the so-called Student Revolution that took place in July and earlier this month, which culminated in Hasina’s dramatic departure from power. The investigation was agreed upon during a phone call late Wednesday between UN human rights chief Volker Turk and Bangladesh’s interim leader, Muhammad Yunus.
“The United Nations is sending a UN fact-finding team next week to probe atrocities committed during the Student Revolution,” the statement read. The mission is expected to investigate “widespread human rights abuses” that allegedly occurred during Hasina’s 15-year tenure, including accusations of mass detentions and extrajudicial killings of political opponents.
Sheikh Hasina, who had been criticized for her authoritarian approach, fled to India by helicopter 10 days ago after student-led protests overwhelmed the streets of Dhaka, effectively ending her long-standing rule. She remains in India as the situation in Bangladesh continues to develop.
