Bangladesh authorities must respect right to peaceful protest: Amnesty

Amnesty International has urged Bangladesh authorities to respect the right to freedom of assembly and protect peaceful protestors, recalling Friday's clash in Chattogram that left four people dead and dozens injured after an alleged attack on police.

"The scenes of violence we witnessed in Chattogram and Dhaka follow a worryingly familiar pattern of behaviour by the Bangladeshi authorities. The right to peaceful protest has come under concerted attack, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic, culminating in this type of bloody repression," said Sultan Mohammed Zakaria, Amnesty International's South Asia researcher in an article on the crackdowns on protesters in Bangladesh during the last few weeks.

Amnesty International's article also highlighted a string of clashes throughout 23 to 25 March among Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), Progressive Students Alliance, Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) police and other groups that wounded over 100 people countrywide including a number of students.

According to the human rights organisation, video footage of various protests showed that unidentified people joined in attacks on protestors, who have been identified as members of the BCL and the Awami League by the local media.