UN Human Rights Team To Visit Bangladesh To Investigate Human Rights Violations

A human rights team from the United Nations will visit Dhaka next week to discuss with the Bangladesh interim government, investigations into the human rights violations during the recent unrest in Bangladesh.

Discussion with Bangladesh interim government

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk discussed with Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus a comprehensive range of support that the UN Human Rights Office could provide to the interim government and the transition, including on accountability issues.

Aim of this visit

The team visiting Bangladesh will discuss with the interim government areas of support and the modalities for an investigation of human rights violations in the context of the recent violence and unrest, Haq said. Turk said in a statement issued in Geneva that a comprehensive, impartial, and transparent investigation into all human rights violations and abuses that have occurred will be a critical first step.

Issues in Bangladesh

A report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in Geneva said that Hindus and their temples have been attacked in Bangladesh in the aftermath of Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as Prime Minister last week.

About United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR)

The United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) was a functional commission within the overall framework of the United Nations from 1946 until it was replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2006. It was a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), and was also assisted in its work by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNOHCHR). It was the UN’s principal mechanism and international forum concerned with the promotion and protection of human rights.

• On March 15, 2006, the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to replace UNCHR with the UN Human Rights Council.