The International Truth and Justice Project is calling for an independent investigation into the killings that took place in July and August last year in Bangladesh.
5 August, 2024. An historic day for Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country, following growing calls for her long-running authoritarian rule to come to an end. There had been no free and fair elections in the nation since 2008.
But her downfall came amidst not just rising protests, but a rising death toll. It’s estimated that between 800 and 1,500 people were killed in the weeks leading up to 5 August. And on that final day, when Hasina fled, some 300 people were killed, the deadliest day of the protests.Forensic research by The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) has revealed “the unlawful and targeted use of force by the police” which they say “constitutes gross violations of human rights and if proven, amounts to crimes against humanity.” The ITJP is calling for an independent investigation into the killings that took place in July and August last year. The families of the victims are calling for justice.
Mobile phone and social media videos analysed by ITJP and shared with Channel 4 News shows the brutality of last summer.
On that day, 5 August, footage shows a protest outside a police station in Gazipur, just north of the capital, Dhaka. People have been celebrating after hearing the news that the prime minister has left the country.
After protesters overturn a police vehicle and set it alight, riot officers emerge from the station and begin firing. Such use of force by the police, where they appear to fire both indiscriminately and also in a targeted manner. Later, the footage shows police capture a man, 20-year-old Mohammad Riddoy, a student who worked as an autorickshaw driver to pay for his studies. Riddoy is dragged from an alley, taken out onto the street, and then shot in the back at point blank range. The officers walk away.
30 seconds later, some police return and begin dragging the body away. It appears he is still showing signs of life. Blood is seen trailing along the ground as Riddoy is taken past the hospital and towards the police station. His body has never been seen again.
Because of that, Riddoy is not on the official list of the dead. “I want him to be recognised as a martyr. We are a very poor family and I hope the government will take care of my parents,” said Riddoy’s sister, Jasmine Akhter.
In a reply to Channel 4 News, the Inspector General of Police in Bangladesh said that the video was authentic and that a criminal case has already been initiated. Two men have already been arrested who were found to be involved in the killing of Riddoy. They have both been sent to court.
The Inspector General confirmed that Riddoy’s body is yet to be found. “There are some dead bodies in the morgue which are yet to be identified through forensic examination. The identification process is ongoing.”When asked about the actions of police over the course of last summer and whether officers were acting under the direction of anyone – including of the government at the time – the Inspector General said, “The then police authorities must have given the illegal orders upon which police committed the atrocities. We can very reasonably be sure that the Police Chief as well as the minister in charge of Home Affairs were both aware of these police actions.”