UN Report Condemns Sheikh Hasina's Brutal Crackdown on Student Protests as Possible Crimes Against Humanity

A United Nations fact-finding mission has revealed that former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's violent suppression of student led protests in 2024 resulted in approximately 1,400 deaths, with evidence of systematic human rights abuses that may constitute crimes against humanity. 

The report, released in February 2025, offers a devastating account of state-sponsored violence that ultimately led to Hasina's fall from power after 15 years of rule.

The Uprising: From Quota Reform to Revolution

What began as a movement for quota reform in government jobs in July 2024 rapidly evolved into a nationwide pro-democracy uprising known as the "July Revolution"1. 

The protests gained significant momentum when private university students joined public university demonstrators on July 16, 2024. In response, the Hasina government ordered the closure of all educational institutions and forced students to vacate university dormitories by July 17.

The government's heavy-handed approach only intensified the protests. 

On July 18, major confrontations erupted between law enforcement and students from several private universities in Dhaka, including BRAC University, East West University, and Primeasia University in the Rampura area. 

Simultaneously, demonstrations spread across the capital, with students from AIUB, North South University, Independent University Bangladesh, and other institutions staging protests in various locations.

Hasina's Inflammatory Rhetoric

A pivotal moment in the escalation came on July 14, when Sheikh Hasina made inflammatory remarks during a press conference, responding to questions about the protests by stating, "If the grandchildren of freedom fighters don't get quota benefits, will those then go to the grandchildren of the Razakars? That's my question to the countrymen". 

This statement, which protesters interpreted as labeling them "Razakars" (a term referring to collaborators with Pakistani forces during Bangladesh's 1971 Liberation War), ignited further outrage and led students to adopt slogans directly challenging her authority.

Brutal Crackdown and Escalating Violence

The UN report details how security forces systematically engaged in serious human rights violations, including hundreds of extrajudicial killings, thousands of injuries, extensive arbitrary arrests, and torture. 

The evidence suggests these violations were "carried out with the knowledge, coordination and direction of the political leadership and senior security sector officials, in pursuance of a strategy to suppress the protests and related expressions of dissent".

As tensions reached a breaking point in early August, the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement called for a march to Dhaka on August 5, 2024. 

In response, police units were deployed to disperse the approaching protestors. While initially using tear gas and rubber bullets, some officers, including Armed Police Battalion constable Md. Sujon Hossain, fired live ammunition at the demonstrators, resulting in multiple casualties.

Targeting of Vulnerable Groups

Particularly disturbing was the targeting of vulnerable populations. The UN report indicates that approximately 12-13% of those killed were children. 

Police and security forces subjected minors to "targeted killings, deliberate maiming, arbitrary arrest, detention in inhumane conditions, torture and other forms of ill-treatment".

Women and girls, who were at the forefront of early protests, faced specific forms of violence, including gender-based physical violence, threats of rape, and in documented cases, sexual assault perpetrated by Awami League supporters. 

The UN report acknowledges that due to cultural sensitivities and the underreporting of sexual violence in Bangladesh, the full extent of these abuses likely remains undocumented.

UN Findings: Possible Crimes Against Humanity

The UN fact-finding mission, conducted at the invitation of Bangladesh's interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, concluded that the patterns of violence may constitute crimes against humanity. 

UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk stated, "The accounts and evidence we collected depict a troubling reality of widespread state-sponsored violence and targeted killings, which represent some of the most egregious breaches of human rights and may also qualify as international crimes".

In some horrifying instances, "security forces engaged in summary executions by deliberately shooting unarmed protesters at point blank range". Türk further noted that it was evident senior members of the previous government were aware of and actively participated in serious human rights violations.

The Fall of Hasina and Its Aftermath

As protesters surrounded her residence in August 2024, Sheikh Hasina fled to India, effectively ending her 15 year rule. 

The Indian government, which has historically supported her, continues to provide her shelter, allowing her to maintain influence in Bangladesh's political landscape and complicating the transitional government's efforts to restore democracy.

The interim government has reportedly made approximately 100 arrests in connection with attacks on religious and indigenous groups. However, accountability for the full scale of human rights violations remains a significant challenge.

International Response and Human Rights Concerns

Human rights organizations had been raising alarms about the situation even before the major crackdown. 

In August 2023, Amnesty International had already called on "the Government of Bangladesh to guarantee strict adherence to the law by the law enforcement agencies, as well as full respect for the people's right to exercise their right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly".

The organization had verified evidence of excessive force against protesters, including violent attacks during opposition organized sit ins. These earlier warnings went unheeded, ultimately leading to the catastrophic violence of July and August 2024.

Accountability and Bangladesh's Future

The UN report represents a damning indictment of Sheikh Hasina's governance and raises serious questions about accountability for human rights abuses. 

With estimates of up to 1,400 deaths, thousands of injuries, and over 11,700 detentions, the scale of the violations demands international attention and justice mechanisms.

As Bangladesh's interim government works to rebuild democratic institutions, the country faces the challenge of addressing these historical abuses while moving toward reconciliation. 

The UN findings suggest that further criminal investigations are warranted to determine the extent to which these violations constitute crimes under international law.

For the families of victims and survivors of the crackdown, the UN report represents a first step toward acknowledging the atrocities committed during those fateful weeks in the summer of 2024, when a student movement for fair job quotas transformed into a revolution that toppled one of South Asia's longest serving leaders.