Hasina regime behind possible 'crimes against humanity': UN

Dhaka: The United Nations has said that the Sheikh Hasina-led regime in Bangladesh, which was toppled last year, was behind systematic attacks on protesters and oversaw "hundreds of extrajudicial killings", AFP reported. The report, which is based on an inquiry into events in Bangladesh between July and August 15, 2024, estimated that around 1,400 protesters were shot dead, with children making up 12 to 13 per cent of those killed.

The UN said it had "reasonable grounds" to believe that the "crimes against humanity of murder, torture, imprisonment and infliction of other inhumane acts have taken place". The report was based on over 230 interviews conducted in Bangladesh by human rights investigators and forensic experts with victims, witnesses, protest leaders, and activists.

The inquiry also found that the Bangladeshi security and intelligence services and violent elements of Hasina's Awami League party were also allegedly involved in the attack against protesters as the government strived to remain in power.

The report mentioned that the majority of those killed were shot by security forces, putting the death toll at 1,400 - far higher than the most recent estimate by Bangladesh's interim government of 834.

Bangladesh was engulfed by protests and violence last year after student groups demanded the scrapping of a controversial quota system in government jobs. The protests escalated into a campaign to seek the ouster of Hasina, who was eventually forced to flee to India as agitators stormed her residence.