Revenge killings continued in aftermath of July protests: UN

Violent mobs engaged in serious acts of revenge violence, including killings, targeting police and Awami League officials, and members of minority communities, especially from early August onwards, the United Nations has said.

It said some Hindus, Ahmadiyya Muslims and indigenous people from the Chittagong Hill Tracts were also subjected to human rights abuses, including the burning of homes and attacks on places of worship, with different underlying motivations.

The report, released by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) today (12 February), cited instances of attacks, saying, "While protests were ongoing, some elements in the crowds committed lynchings and other serious retaliatory violence targeting the police and Awami League officials or supporters, often in apparent direct response to unlawful violence perpetrated by or attributed to the victims."

Violent crowds also vandalised, looted, or burned down official residences, homes and businesses belonging to Awami League leaders, government officials, or their close family members, the UN said.

In the days after Sheikh Hasina's fall, many police officers feared showing up for work and the police effectively ceased functioning in many places. This facilitated further apparent revenge violence as well as opportunistic crime, the UN noted.

The OHCHR said it could not provide its own estimate on the extent of revenge violence, in particular killings of police officers and Awami League members.

"Awami League provided OHCHR a detailed list with names, dates and causes of killings according to which 144 officials and members of Awami League and its affiliated organisations were killed during attacks that occurred between 1 July and 15 August, including 23 deaths up to 3 August, 35 deaths on 4 August, 68 deaths on 5 August and another 18 deaths between 6 and 15 August."

It said according to Bangladesh Police, 44 police officers were killed and a further 2308 were injured during the period of 1 July to 15 August.

The BGB reported three border guards killed and 129 injured.395 Among Ansar/VDP, three were killed and 63 injured, while two RAB officers were killed and 307 injured.

Revenge violence also targeted journalists and media outlets that were perceived as biased towards Awami League and supportive of the former government, the UN said.

It recommended prompt and independent investigations into all reported incidents of this kind, which, if left unaddressed, pose major risks to the country's social fabric, democratic culture and cohesion going forward.