Seventy-four eminent citizens today (29 July) demanded that a high-level expert team from the United Nations oversee the probe into the killings of ordinary citizens during the quota reform protests.

In a statement, they also demanded justice for the “murder of students and citizens during the quota reform protest”.

The statement was signed by human rights activists Sultana Kamal, Iftekharuzzaman, Dr Hamida Hossain, Khushi Kabir, Rasheda K Chowdhury; Economists Dr Wahiduddin Mahmood, Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Prof Anu Muhammad and Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, among others.

“Investigations must be conducted into every incident where ordinary students, peace-loving citizens, teenagers, and even children were killed, tortured, or injured by the police, RAB, other forces, or government-backed armed private individuals. For the sake of conducting these investigations transparently, fairly, impartially, and independently, it is imperative that they are overseen by a high-level expert team from the United Nations. The actual perpetrators, regardless of their high-ranking positions or political affiliations, must be held accountable according to the law,” the statement said.

Below is a translated version of the statement [redacted]:

With profound pain and anger, we have observed that since 16 July, in response to the peaceful student protests demanding quota reform, various forces of the state, including the police, and student wing of the ruling party encouraged by multiple responsible ministers, have unleashed unprecedented repression and violence.

From the beginning, the government has tried to label this completely peaceful and non-political student movement as a conspiracy by political opponents, and their opponents have similarly tried to exploit the student movement for their own political gain under the guise of solidarity. We condemn any form of unprincipled politics behind the murder of students and civilians and the destruction of public property.

At least two hundred people have died due to the use of force by the government, and thousands have been seriously injured. The majority of these are students from public and private universities, colleges, and schools, as well as ordinary working people.

There are also members of law enforcement among the injured and dead, as well as journalists.

We are particularly concerned because we suspect that the actual number of casualties due to the attacks by government forces and affiliated organisations is much higher and more horrific than we know, a fact obscured by the government’s monopoly over the internet and media.

There is no precedent in the last hundred years in our country or on this subcontinent [excluding the genocide by Pakistani forces during the Liberation War] for such a large number of casualties in such a short time in a peaceful movement.

We do not know the appropriate language to express condemnation, disgust, and protest against such massacres. The responsibility for this massive loss of life lies primarily with the government.

The way multiple ministers have recklessly incited their student supporters to attack peaceful protesters has shocked and deeply disturbed people in Bangladesh and abroad.

We have also noted with profound sorrow that armoured vehicles bearing the UN logo were deployed on the streets to suppress peaceful civilian protests, the Army and border security forces were mobilised, a curfew was imposed with orders to shoot on sight, and sound grenades and, reportedly, gunfire were used from helicopters, which is unprecedented in the history of Bangladesh.

During this movement, several state institutions, establishments, and assets have been damaged due to destructive activities, which are in no way justifiable. We demand that those responsible for these acts of sabotage be identified through a fair and impartial investigation and punished according to the law.

However, using this as an excuse to oppress people with different opinions or harass the citizens is not at all justifiable. It has been reported in the media that the government did not take appropriate measures to prevent these acts of sabotage, and in some cases, the state forces played the role of silent spectators.

It is crucial to conduct a thorough investigation into their role and disclose it to the public.

We are extremely angered that the police have filed cases of sabotage against thousands of unnamed individuals and arrested thousands without investigating the loss of life, attacks on students and civilians, and shootings. Among these, there are numerous accusations involving innocent civilians, students, or their family members.

Several coordinators and activists of the student movement have been physically tortured after being taken from their homes. Subsequently, they were taken into police custody from hospitals, which is highly undesirable and oppressive.

Media reports also indicate that police, RAB, and other forces have created immense fear and terror among the public, families, and the youth through “block raids” and indiscriminate arrests, complicating and destabilising the situation further.

In such a crisis situation, we present our urgent demands to the government for the greater good of the country, to ensure a safe and educational environment in educational institutions for the future of students. At the same time, we call upon the citizens to rise above party affiliations and play an active and responsible role.

Investigations must be conducted into every incident where ordinary students, peace-loving citizens, teenagers, and even children were killed, tortured, or injured by the police, RAB, other forces, or government-backed armed private individuals. For the sake of conducting these investigations transparently, fairly, impartially, and independently, it is imperative that they are overseen by a high-level expert team from the United Nations. The actual perpetrators, regardless of their high-ranking positions or political affiliations, must be held accountable according to the law.

Due to these tragic killings, those who have been killed or seriously injured deserve national mourning with appropriate honors declared by the state. The government must immediately disclose the actual number, names, and identities of all the people, students, teenagers who have been killed, injured, or affected from the beginning of this incident.

Human life is invaluable and nothing can compensate for its loss. Nevertheless, the government must accept its responsibility and provide adequate compensation to the families of the deceased. The government must also take full responsibility for the medical treatment of those who are injured and currently in various hospitals. The government must take responsibility for the rehabilitation of those who have lost eyes, hands, or legs.

We express our deep outrage and condemnation regarding the reports of police fabricated charges and the arrest of coordinators, organizers, ordinary students, and other civilians. The brutal torture inflicted upon coordinators like Nahidul Islam and former DUCSU VP Nurul Haq Nur, among others, arrested under such charges, is equivalent to a violation of the constitution and a criminal offense. The government must take specific measures to end such malicious activities, close down torture cells and torture centres, and restore a conducive educational environment in educational institutions by accepting all the demands of the students. Arbitrary arrests, detentions, forced confessions, suppression, intimidation of students and their families, and unrestrained harassment by the police and RAB must be stopped immediately.

To normalise the situation, curfews must be lifted, all armored vehicles, helicopters, and other equipment that have been deployed on the streets to intimidate and oppress the student and civilian population must be immediately returned to their respective places, all government controls over the internet must be ended to ensure free flow of information, and harassment and propaganda against dissenters must be stopped.

Finally, we specially call upon all distinguished and responsible citizens of the country to organise a national civic mourning event in memory of the hundreds of students and civilians who have been killed, injured, and oppressed in the violent attacks by the police, RAB, and other forces, to show our sympathy and respect for them.

The signatories are:

1) Sultana Kamal, human rights activist; 2) Dr Hamida Hossain, human rights activist; 3) Khushi Kabir, human rights activist; 4) Dr Shahdin Malik, law expert and constitutional expert; 5) Rasheda K Chowdhury, human rights activist; 6) Dr Wahiduddin Mahmood, economist; 7) Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, Economist; 8) Professor Anu Muhammad, Economist; 9) Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, economist; 10) Dr Meghna Guthakurta, human rights activist and researcher; 11) Advocate ZI Khan Panna; 12) Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, human rights activist; 13) Dr Asif Nazrul, professor; 14) Shireen Haque, women’s rights activist; 15) Advocate Syeda Rizwana Hasan; 16) Shamsul Huda, human rights and indigenous rights activist; 17) Dr Badiul Alam Majumder, researcher and observer; 18) Barrister Sara Hossain; 19) Professor Parveen Hasan; 20) Professor Gitiara Nasreen; 21) Professor Md Tanjimuddin Khan; 22) Professor Dr Sumaiya Khair; 23) Professor Mushtaq H Khan; 24) Professor Mirza Taslima Sultana; 25) Professor Firdous Azim; 26) Professor Bina de Costa; 27) Professor Shahnaz Huda; 28) Professor Saeed Ferdous; 29) Professor Robaet Ferdous; 30) Professor Dr Nova Ahmed; 31) Professor Dr Naveeda Khan; 32) Dr Swapan Adnan, Educator; 33) Dina Siddiqui, Educationist; 34) Dr Nasrin Khandaker, Postdoctoral Researcher; 35) Dr Samina Lutfa, Associate Professor; 36) Farha Tanzin, associate professor; 37) Maidul Islam, Associate Professor; 38) Dr Rizwana Karim Ghadha, Associate Professor; 39) Md Saimum Reza Talukder, Senior Lecturer; 40) Subrata Chowdhury, Senior Advocate; 41) Tabarak Hossain, Senior Advocate; 42) Barrister Shubhra Chakraborty, human rights activist; 43) Dr Sharif Bhuiyan, Advocate; 44) Advocate Saidur Rahman; 45) Advocate Priya Hasan Chowdhury; 44) Advocate Sharmin Khan; 46) Nasser Bakhtiar, former banker; 47) Abu Saeed Khan, journalist; 48) Sayeda Gulrukh, journalist; 49) Salim Samad, journalist and media rights activist; 50) Sharmin Murshid, human rights activist and observer; 51) Faustina Pereira, human rights activist; 52) Dr Rushad Faridi, human rights activist; 53) Rezaul Karim Leylin, researcher and rights activist; 54) Noor Khan, human rights activist; 55) Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, human rights activist; 56) Sadaf Noor, researcher and human rights activist; 57) Dr Tasneem Siraj Mahboob, human rights activist; 58) Dr Shahidul Alam, photographer and social worker; 59) Rahnuma Ahmed, writer and researcher; 60) Altaf Parvez, writer and researcher; 61) Ahmed Swapan Mahmud, poet and writer; 62) Zakir Hossain, human rights activist; 63) Mahin Sultana, human rights activist; 64) Rozina Begum, researcher and rights activist; 65) Bareesh Hasan Chowdhury, researcher; 66) Rezwan Islam, researcher and rights activist; 67) Jahanara Khatun, human rights activist; 68) Fazila Banu Lily, rights activist; 69) Arifa Hafeez, human rights activist; 70) Ishrat Jahan Prachi, rights activist; 71) Dipayan Khisa, human rights activist; 72) Hana Shams Ahmed, Indigenous rights activist; 73) Muktsree Chakma, women rights activist and 74) Arup Rahi, cultural activist.