Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) has called for full accountability for all forms of human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, and demanded victim-centered services, compensation, and rehabilitation. The organization made the statement in a press release issued Wednesday on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.
In the release, BLAST highlighted recommendations from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, stressing the need for victim-focused assistance, fair investigations, and fair trials. The organization said, “It is essential to ensure a fair investigation and proper justice for the incidents of violence that have been happening in the country since the July uprising.”
BLAST specifically demanded impartial investigations into cases of politically motivated harassment, mass arrests, organized or mob violence, and the rise in violence against women and children. The group also called for justice in incidents involving misinformation-based harassment, attacks on cultural workers—particularly Baul artists—fatal attacks on individuals seeking justice in court, and cases related to hurting religious sentiments.
The statement described the police initiative to exhume the bodies of 114 people killed during the July uprising as “praiseworthy,” while urging authorities to ensure that families are allowed to properly rebury their loved ones.
Citing data from Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, BLAST noted that 636 incidents of violence against women and children occurred nationwide in the past three months, pointing to ongoing insecurity and rising violence. Invoking this year’s Human Rights Day theme, “Human Rights: Essential in Everyday Life,” BLAST called on the government to take effective measures to protect human rights, uphold the rule of law, and prevent future violations.
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