Committed to credible probe into July-August massacre: Dhaka tells Geneva talks

Law Adviser Asif Nazrul has said the interim government is committed to an impartial and credible investigation into the July-August massacre in Bangladesh and proper judicial processes for redress.

Asif Nazrul made the remarks when he was addressing a session titled 'OHCHR Fact-Finding Report on Human Rights Violations and Abuses Related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh: Charting the Path Forward' as a panelist at the Palais des Nations in Geneva yesterday (5 March).

The event was organised by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) as part of the ongoing 58th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk also participated in the event and made a presentation on the OHCHR Fact-Finding Report released on 12 February.

In his panel remarks, the Law Adviser appreciated High Commissioner Turk for commissioning the mandate of the OHCHR Fact Finding Team by undertaking a comprehensive, independent investigation of the July and August mass uprising.

He also said that the findings of the report and the evidence collected and analysed for the purpose of the report would be pivotal for the ongoing accountability and judicial processes in Bangladesh to ensure justice.

Asif Nazrul also shared the interim government's various reform initiatives.

High Commissioner Turk, in his presentation, stated that former government officials, members of the security and intelligence apparatus and violent elements associated with the former ruling party had committed serious, organised and systemic human rights violations in July-August 2024.

He mentioned that OHCHR has reasonable grounds to believe that certain crimes committed in July-August constituted crimes against humanity.

He assured Bangladesh of OHCHR's continued cooperation and support in ensuring accountability, truth telling and national healing through its enhanced presence in Bangladesh.

From Bangladesh side, Mir Mahmudur Rahman, brother of July uprising martyr Mugdha's brother, spoke at the panel recounting the painful experience from the victim's family; while Farzana Sharmin Emu, a civil society representative working to support the injured, also spoke sharing the story of the injured.

The panel ended with a Q&A session where Law Adviser Nazrul and High Commissioner Turk responded to the questions raised from the floor.

Well-attended by the Geneva-based Diplomats and international Civil Society Representatives, one highlight of the panel discussion was the screening of a forensic video on Jatrabari atrocities during the mass uprising, said a media release issued by the Bangladesh side.

Later, the Law Adviser met High Commissioner Turk in a bilateral meeting.

They discussed the future modalities of engagement of OHCHR in the national accountability process pertaining to the atrocities and crimes committed in July and August last year.

Information Adviser Md Mahfuj Alam, Bangladesh Permanent Representative and Sanjida Islam Tuli of Maayer Dak were present during the panel as well as at the bilateral meeting.