Mr. President,
We thank the High Commissioner for his report on Bangladesh. It presents critical evidence of extrajudicial executions, arbitrary arrests, and torture by security forces against protesters in Bangladesh, who were calling for the end to authoritarianism.
Although the 2024 crackdown on student protesters was unprecedented in scale, it was part of a well-established pattern of indiscriminate and excessive use of force by Bangladeshi law enforcement, as well as killings and enforced disappearances targeting opponents of the now deposed Awami League government. Security officers privately told Human Rights Watch that members of the security forces acted on direct orders from their political bosses, either fearing reprisals or seeking rewards.
In Bangladesh, systemic security force abuses are enabled by a deeply ingrained culture of impunity.
The interim government wants to initiate reforms, but we are already witnessing failures in law enforcement, rising crime, and a tendency towards mob violence, this time targeting Awami League supporters. Bangladesh is at a crossroads. Without urgent structural reforms, the abuses of the past could quickly become a blueprint for Bangladesh's future.
Bangladeshis have called for rights respecting governance. This reform effort, by a fragile interim government that is under increasing pressure from various interest groups must be robustly supported by this Council, donors, international experts, and civil society.
The Yunus government has welcomed UN assistance. It should urgently, initiate a resolution at the Human Rights Council to request continued monitoring and reporting by OHCHR and further independent investigations to reinforce rights-promoting and lasting reforms.
We share the High Commissioner's grave concern at how Thai authorities last week violated domestic and international law by forcibly sending at least 40 Uyghur men to China, where they could face torture, enforced disappearance, and long-term imprisonment. We urge Thailand, as a new member of this Council, to respect its international commitments and obligations, as well as the terms of its Council membership. The High Commissioner and UN experts should actively seek access to those returned and independently assess their situation in China.
