_1.jpg)
.svg)
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Bangladesh convened a critical briefing with the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN OHCHR) at the House of Commons, shedding light on the alarming findings of a fact-finding investigation into the brutal 2024 student-led pro-democracy protests in Bangladesh.
The meeting, hosted by Apsana Begum MP, Chair of the APPG on Bangladesh, brought together a significant audience of policymakers, academics, activists, and members of the diaspora community to hear firsthand accounts and authenticated evidence from two UN OHCHR representatives. Also in attendance were Ms. Abida Islam, Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK and Northern Ireland, and a representative from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
In a powerful statement following the briefing, MP Apsana Begum asserted that the UN OHCHR presented "authenticated evidence of systematic human rights violations" during the widespread 2024 protests. She cited a horrifying pattern of abuses, including hundreds of extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and torture. These actions, she stated, were allegedly coordinated by political and security officials of the former Awami League regime. The protests, which initially targeted discriminatory job quotas, rapidly escalated into a nationwide pro-democracy movement between July and August 2024. Estimates suggest up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands injured, primarily by Bangladesh's security forces.
MP Begum stressed that Bangladesh is currently at a "historic juncture." She emphasized the immediate need for justice and accountability for the human rights abuses, corruption, repression, and persecution documented. "The UN OCHR’s report and its recommendations are key to ensuring that this can be a lasting reality," MP Begum commented, highlighting the importance of the UN's February 2025 report. The Chair also pointed to the ongoing grassroots demands for vital societal changes, including public service investment, trades union rights, improved working conditions, equality for women, and religious freedom. This briefing underscores the international pressure on the current Interim Government and future administrations to implement the UN's recommendations to secure a Bangladesh that serves "the interests of the people of Bangladesh."
This news is made from Apsana Begum MP's press release.
