Un human rights team in bangladesh to discuss investigation

Un human rights team in bangladesh to discuss investigation

UN human rights chief Volker Turk had phoned Yunus on August 14 and said a UN-led investigation would be launched soon to probe the killing of protesters during the ‘students’ revolution’.

Dhaka: A team of the United Nations (UN) arrived in Bangladesh on Thursday to discuss modalities for an investigation into human rights abuses and violations during the violence and unrest that preceded the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government.

The small team led by Rory Mungoven, chief of the Asia-Pacific Section of the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, will hold preliminary discussions regarding the proposed investigation in order to extend support to the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

‘It’s really an exploratory visit for discussions with the interim government, with the advisers, with some of the ministries, with civil society, with a broad cross-section of Bangladeshi society, to hear your priorities,’ Mungoven told reporters about the team’s eight-day visit in response to a request from the interim government.

The discussions will centre around the modalities for the investigation, the way the UN can work with the interim government and support the national process in Bangladesh going forward, he said after a meeting with Bangladesh’s foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk had phoned Yunus on August 14 and said a UN-led investigation would be launched soon to probe the killing of protesters during the ‘students’ revolution‘. Turk also said a team of UN experts would visit Bangladesh to set up the investigation.

Mungoven assured Bangladesh of all assistance, including for the fact-finding investigation, and said his team’s mission is to explore ways the UN can support Bangladesh at this time.

People familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity the team is expected to meet members of the interim government and civil society to collect information.

A statement from the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Bangladesh said the team will visit Dhaka during August 22-29 for ‘preliminary discussions with the interim government and other stakeholders’. The purpose of the visit is to understand their priorities for assistance in promoting human rights.

‘It is important to note that this visit is not an investigation, but rather it will focus on discussing the process for investigating human rights violations in light of the recent violence and unrest,’ the statement said.

Once details are finalised, a separate fact-finding team will be sent to Bangladesh in the coming weeks to conduct the investigation, the statement said.

The interim government has expressed its readiness to cooperate with the UN team to ensure a fair and impartial investigation.