In addition to those killed by the former government’s security and intelligence services alongside Awami League party associates, a report by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) into the alleged crimes indicated that thousands were injured, including one youngster who was shot in the hand at point-blank range for throwing stones.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe that officials of the former government, its security and intelligence apparatus, together with violent elements associated with the former ruling party, committed serious and systematic human rights violations,” the High Commissioner for Human Rights said.
Speaking in Geneva, Mr. Türk highlighted that some of the gravest violations detailed in the report may constitute international crimes that could be heard by the International Criminal Court (ICC), as Bangladesh is a State party to the Rome Statute which created the tribunal in The Hague. The ICC’s foundational Statute gives it jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression (following an amendment in 2010).
Alleged crimes in Bangladesh against the student-led protest included “hundreds of extrajudicial killings, extensive arbitrary arrest and detention and torture, and ill treatment, including of children, as well as gender based violence”, the UN rights chief said.