In a report published Friday (August 16), the UN body said the victims include at least four journalists and at least 32 children. A number of them were seemingly deliberately targeted. The OHCHR said the data had been collected from available public reports by media and the protest movement itself.
The UN is sending a fact-finding team to Bangladesh next week to investigate the violence.
Awami League supremo Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India on August 5 as the student-led protest turned into a mass movement. Her government blocked internet and mobile phone services, imposed an indefinite curfew and called out the army to quell the protest but nothing worked in the end.
An interim government headed by Dr Yunus was sworn in three days later.
Meanwhile, Dr Yunus also expressed his gratitude to Türk and UN Secretary General António Guterres for their support of the Bangladesh students’ revolution, particularly in defending their rights.
He emphasised that human rights would be the cornerstone of his administration, with the protection of every citizen.
Dr Yunus also welcomed UN cooperation in rebuilding the country and upholding human rights.
Students and job seekers launched a movement against discriminatory quotas in public sector jobs. Their protest eventually turned into a mass movement that ended Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule on August 5.
Several hundred people have been killed since mid-July during the protests, according to local media. But the government claimed the number was around 150.
An interim government led by Nobel laureate Dr Yunus was sworn in on August 8.
