thank you for joining us today.
of course you know very well I have next
to me the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
and we have the UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh, uh, Ms Gwen Lewis
as well as our senior human rights advisor in Bangladesh, Ms Humar Khan.
the High Commissioner arrived yesterday morning and has had a series of meetings
with government officials as well as civil society and other interlocutors.
I won't take up more time. The High Commissioner will deliver some opening remarks.
We will then open the floor to questions,
Good evening and thank you all for coming.
This has been a brief visit,
but my office is in depth engagement and
my personal connection and I dare say affection
with this vibrant country
And the resilient people of Bangladesh
This unique, unprecedented moment in the history of Bangladesh
is the result of young men and women
having taken to the streets at great personal risk
of being ignored and marginalised
enough with the silencing of dissenting voices.
Enough with the acute inequality, discrimination,
corruption and abuse of power
that had taken hold in the country.
Human rights and social justice
were the core of their demands.
Despite the grief and sense of loss
in my discussions with civil society,
with students with officials and others over the past two days,
that this time through this transition, things will be different
this time. There must be justice
Reforms must be sustainable and durable
so that the abusive practises of the last decades are not repeated.
There are real opportunities and certainly high
expectations for fundamental change for the better
for a new approach to governance,
development and economic policies grounded in human rights,
drawing on the achievements of the recent movements
and building strong foundations to overcome divisiveness,
discrimination and impunity,
inequality, cycles of revenge and retribution, marginalisation, corruption
and gross human rights violations must be consigned to the past.
My office, the Human Rights office,
is here to do everything for Bangladesh
to succeed in this regard.
but to take to the streets
as there was no outlet through the state's mechanism for their concerns, to be heard
to restore social cohesion and trust in institutions of the state.
that was progressively strangled in the last in
This will require reforming repressive laws as well as state institutions
that have been in the habit of stifling dissent.
Only systemic change will ensure that the freedom of expression of association
and peaceful assembly and the right to political participation are respected.
taken to repeal the cybersecurity act
and to withdraw all cases of speech crimes. Under this law
and the Digital Security Act,
where every voice is heard
irrespective of class, gender, race, political ideology,
identity or religion will be key.
Reflecting the aspirations and diversity of the movement
that sparked this transition.
Women are at the heart of social justice movements,
including the protest in July,
and I pay tribute to them.
They must be at the forefront
during the transition and beyond.
Women need to be visible,
particularly in leadership and decision making positions,
the participation of ethnic and
religious minorities in the reform structures as well
as of indigenous peoples is also crucial.
I welcome statements by chief advisor Dr
Mohammad Yunus that reinforce Bangladesh's commitment
to human rights to social justice
and accountability that acknowledge the need
for comprehensive reform in various institutions,
including law enforcement
as well as the need to address economic inequalities.
The rapid establishment of commissioners to recommend reforms in the judiciary,
the election system, the administration, the police, the constitution
corruption commission is commendable
and I understand further commissions are being formed on health, media,
labour rights and women's affairs.
In my discussions today with several of the commissioners,
we discussed the importance of trust building inclusivity
and the lessons that Bangladesh can draw from experiences
in other countries that have grappled with similar issues.
All these reforms could be a powerful step
of intense political division
and curbing the patronage politics that
have weakened its democratic foundations.
for the brutal violence against protesters and other people, including Children
killed and seriously wounded in July and August, is a priority
where some of the students
who were shot while participating in protests in July,
are still undergoing treatment,
often requiring multiple surgeries
after any period of repression,
There needs to be a national process of truth and healing to move forward.
With so many cases to manage
from just the recent past, criminal justice
can only provide part of the answer.
The legitimate pain and anger of victims, their loved ones and society at large
requires a comprehensive approach
that includes fair criminal trials, truth seeking processes,
reparations for victims and initiatives to memorialise and preserve the history.
The graffiti art around the protests and
to the site of a notorious secret detention facility, a
which will now be turned into a
museum of powerful contributions to memorialization.
there must be guarantees of non recurrence
measures to ensure that this can never happen again.
I encourage national dialogue
to design such a process,
which can find inspiration
in some of the initiatives already taken by students to ensure healing.
I welcome Bangladesh's ratification of the Convention
on Enforced Disappearances and the appointment of a commission of inquiry.
I met with the Commission
which needs full support both
at the national level but also at the international level
and it also needs sufficient time to clarify
the fate of the victims and to support survivors.
but it is also crucial to ensure
that charges are not brought in haste
and that due process and fair trial standards are upheld throughout,
including in the International Criminal
Tribunal in the international crimes tribunal.
I found the interim government to be
to be aware of the problems with
the proceedings in the International Criminal Tribunal.
my office has provided comments
to bring in to bring it into line with international standards and
to ensure the right to fair trial and that justice is served
without compromising due process.
We will be looking at other ways that we can accompany and support this process.
I hope there will also be a public discussion
on the use of the death penalty in the future. My own view
informed by the law and by evidence is clear
the death penalty should be relegated to the past
on the basis of their previous political affiliation,
including members or supporters of the Awami
that some charges are not founded on proper investigation,
including a large number of murder charges against journalists.
It is important not to repeat the patterns of the past.
I welcome the creation by the interim government
of a committee to look into this matter as a
tool to address the possible proliferation of false cases.
It is essential to prioritise,
transitions are always fraught with risks
and this is all the more pronounced for vulnerable groups.
I commend the efforts made by students and others to protect minorities and our fact
finding mission is investigating allegations of attacks
against minorities between five and 15 August.
It is vital that the authorities respond quickly to any incidents reported
by conducting thorough investigations and holding perpetrators accountable.
This will help build trust
with minority communities,
especially in light of travelling campaigns of misinformation and
disinformation as well as hate campaigns on social media.
In my discussions with the interim authorities,
I also expressed support and solidarity
for Bangladesh in hosting Rohingya refugees.
The situation in Rakhine state,
all of you are following is only growing worse
and I was told there are also new arrivals in Bangladesh. It is
important to take a flexible and humanitarian approach
more and the protection of new arrivals.
It is critical to ensure security in the camps
as well as access to livelihoods and education.
I'm doing everything I can to galvanise the international
community to focus and on this issue to support Bangladesh
and to step up the search for solutions.
The interim government has inherited massive challenges on all fronts,
including economic development, social, political and the rule of law.
Transitions are always complex
and expectations are high.
but long standing issues take time to resolve.
But the spirit of the student protests and the move the momentum for lasting change
of human rights will require courage and strength.
But it will build trust and help to heal old divisions.
It is crucial that the strong winds of change are harnessed and directed
that in many of my discussions there was a call for enhanced support of my office,
through a strengthened presence.
We look forward to concluding the discussions on the modalities
of our enhanced presence in Bangladesh with the interim government,
the invitation for my office to deploy a fact finding
mission on human rights violations in the context of protests,
which took place in July and August this year,
was an important initiative by the interim governed by the interim authorities.
in Bangladesh will enable my office to accompany
and support the transition process in this area
and in other areas, including by offering advice on legal and institutional,
economic and social reforms, transitional justice, reconciliation and healing.
It is a priority for my office to support this dynamic,
diverse country and its people through this period of transition
and to do everything we can
to help ensure the protection and promotion
of human rights for everyone in Bangladesh.
Thank you, High Commissioner. The statement will be emailed to you shortly.
Uh, we can now take questions.
Uh, my colleagues, uh, over on the right side, uh, will pass along the
We'll take three questions at a time, and then the High Commissioner will answer.
Then we can do another round.
the you have just mentioned about the national hearing process.
So do you think, uh, uh, the
planning of political parties.
Especially, uh, you know, that, uh, the
So there is a demand for any
And at the same time, the USA made a statement
saying that the freedom of
movement and freedom of, uh didn't
So what is your take on this?
it will be appropriate or not.
Brazilian government is in jail government already.
So what is still responsible for the B
there is a demand from the minority communities
investigate the attacks on the minorities by the UN
Thank you. Uh, my name is is
you have visited, uh, several times in Bangladesh,
uh, civil society. Uh uh.
can you make any difference?
Uh, in this week before And, uh, this time Because, uh, human rights workers are safe
Let me start with the last question.
This is my first visit as high Commissioner for human Rights, but it is true.
I have probably met many of you before because I used to work
for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees as one of the deputies.
And I've come many times to to this country, including to Cox
Of course, there's a huge difference.
Um, there is a huge difference in terms of openness,
in terms of embracing human rights,
in terms of discussing and debating the issues
and in putting the issues on the table.
And that's extremely encouraging.
that during this very difficult period of transition
that we can provide the support for for the people of this country to be able to thrive
in a way that marries both the human rights and the development approach.
So, yes, there is a huge difference
the issue of the national healing process and how this relates to also,
I mean, the national healing process is has always to be one that is home grown
and needs to be national ownership and for national healing to happen,
You need justice. As I mentioned, you need truth telling. You need memorialization
then what I mentioned as well the non
recurrence of the past means that you are when it comes to political participation,
that you are guided by the very clear provisions
and human rights. Law is clear about it. It
it promotes the freedom of assembly, the freedom of association,
the freedom of political participation.
There are indeed, in human rights law, certain restrictions,
but the threshold is extremely high.
when you go through this process
that human rights is your compass,
as you as you go through this very, very,
you know, very difficult process of healing and transition.
On the issue of Anti-terrorism. Look,
There has been a lot of discussions about terrorism
laws and and the so called war on terror.
We have seen the consequences of it because unfortunately,
the labelling of terrorism has been done in a way that
has often also included people who disagree who are
let's not forget that Nelson Mandela,
has been healing a whole country,
was considered a terrorist by the South African apartheid regime.
And unfortunately, we often see this
resurgence of the use and the labelling of terrorism as we saw in the past year,
as something in order to quash dissent
And I think it's really important again to learn the lessons also from this country
in the way that terrorism was used and to stifle dissent.
Um, attacks on you mentioned reported attacks on minorities.
Uh, as I mentioned in my remarks,
It is part of our fact finding
as I said, protection of minorities is absolutely key.
It is part of the human rights framework,
and we need to make sure that if these
incidents are reported that they are properly investigated,
Unfortunately, in a climate
that is often very chaotic,
there's also a lot of misinformation and disinformation,
which is all the more important to go to the facts, to identify
the perpetrators and to bring them to justice.
um, if you'd like to ask a question,
please put your hands up and my colleagues will pass the
mic. Yeah, Um, I will actually start, if you don't mind.
I received a question by email for the High Commissioner.
how does the UN human rights chief feel about the killing of individual members or
supporters of the overthrown regime under the pretext
of mob mob justice or mob atrocities?
We'll take two more questions.
I guess I have two or three questions.
This is my first question.
And my second question is, as we know from our advisors to,
uh, get interviews that you discussed about
the issues that are concerning some about
do you have any concerns or questions
like, they would be able to
Uh, my question regarding the office
controversy in the Bangladesh
Why your office and this kind of office is not open,
whether in UK or USA or in the Western World,
this is my first question. The second question.
I mean, do you see any change?
The human rights situation in Bangladesh? I mean,
apart from the government,
I think there were this question about office.
goes through a transition period, as in many other situations around the world,
we can support a transition period because human rights is part
of governance is part of the new fabric of the society.
It is part of a new social contract, and
there is a lot of support out there.
There are many experiences from around the world.
They can be extremely useful.
I heard both from human rights defenders
from the students from the civil society members
that I met from the members of government that there was a lot of requests.
Can you share this with us? What do you think about that?
You know, uh, judicial reform? Do you have comments on this law?
And so there is a huge need to provide that support.
function is to provide that support to countries that ask for it.
And that's exactly what we're doing. I think we also
look at human rights, perhaps in a different way,
because there is, unfortunately a lot of misinformation also about human rights.
Some see it as a Western concept. Some see it only from the perspective that
it's civil and political. Some see it as something
is maybe an imposition. But, you know, if I look at this country
the history of this country is rife with human
rights and social movements on so many fronts.
Coming to women's, uh, labour movements, the
what you did, uh, in order to well, also the last couple of months.
I mean, it was about freedom,
and it was a cry for freedom,
and human rights was part and parcel of what what students
were were saying and were clamouring for. And
I think so. Human rights is not an issue of one part of the world.
It is an issue that is truly universal,
which is why you have the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,
adopted 75 years ago by all member states
and reiterated and reiterated again and again and again.
By the way, I have a presence in about 100 countries,
in the Western world. For instance, we have a regional office in Brussels.
We have an office. I mean, of course, an office in New York.
So we have office presences.
The problem that I have is that I don't get enough financing.
I wish I could have an office everywhere,
but unfortunately I don't get the funding.
we have to prioritise and I want to prioritise
precisely the situation where there is most need.
Yeah, they are what they are. They are difficult sometimes, and they
they need support from everyone who can provide that support.
And that's the offer that I have made
to the authorities here to the society here. And
as I said, there was a lot of interest, a lot of, um,
also embracing of it. And
we need to honour that. That's my duty to the people of Bangladesh.
it's very clear from the perspective of human rights law.
And if you if you look at the
and and both in in the way that
the law was constructed and and it was set up,
of compliance with international human rights standards
and they need to be addressed and
both when it comes to fair, fair, fair, fair trial,
but also to due process guarantees.
and it's really important to reform that
I have discussed it with the authorities. There was a very open
and we just and you know, that's often the problem.
You have an interim administration that has not even been
in in an in office for for not even three months.
The expectations are extremely high. The changes need to be made are enormous.
So we also need to well, first of all, provide them the support that that is required,
exercise patience and manage our our expectations.
But law reform is absolutely critical when it comes to that.
then the issue of you mentioned mob justice,
You know, violence committed by whoever commits it
and hurts another human being.
Well, that obviously needs to be investigated. So it's not acceptable to,
uh, to have, uh, mob justice of any kind.
And that's why you need the rule of law system to
kick in and to provide precisely that type of response.
violence begets violence as we see in so many situations around the world.
Yes, as I mentioned, when it comes to change,
there is a very different Bangladesh that I'm discovering. And
I'm very grateful for that.
We can do one more round of three questions.
There have been incidents of
So So, uh, I mean, there have been a lot of human rights violation in July and August,
and mostly done carried out by the police forces.
in charge, this interim government has given immunity
to all those police officers have been killed. And, uh,
Police officers who have been killed?
Uh, no fire. No cases should be fired
in. So how do you see it?
My first question. My second question is, if an office is established in
so what would their scope of work
Thank you. This is Mia, the
I'm working for a television named Joe
So my question is to you that you have a number of discussion with our advisor
discussion with the chief adviser
So you talk to with them about the human rights situation in Bangla,
So my question is to you that do you, uh,
have th that kind of confidence to the inter Inter government that
they can solve the situation or they can, uh I mean that in the situation
he had greater perspective. Thank you so much.
Look on the first question, which was around filing of cases, uh,
as I mentioned also during my statement,
I welcome very much that this was recognised as an
issue because of course we cannot have the filing of cases
on on charges that are not properly, uh,
mean properly done. And it's therefore extremely important
And the there is an I understand a commission
that was set up precisely to address this issue.
It's it's really important in such a period
we don't repeat the patterns of the past,
that justice is properly served, which means it has to be properly investigated
and charges need to be brought against precisely those who have committed crimes.
entitled to fair trial and due process standards.
And I understand this commission is currently looking into this and I welcome that.
Look, when it comes to any killings, they need to be investigated
irrespective of the perpetrator.
That's very clear. I mean killings, all killings need to be investigated.
demands because we cannot allow killings to happen
When it comes to a strengthened, enhanced
to Bangladesh from a human rights perspective,
obviously accompany the reform process because all the
areas of reform that are currently being undertaken
they all have a human rights component.
the judicial reform, be it rule of law reform. More generally be it
the issue of police reform, be it
police reform means use of force. You know, When
do you use of force what is acceptable into human rights law?
We have had many examples in many countries around
the world where precisely this issue had to be.
uh, proper investigations, how to build national ownership,
including when it comes to the national human rights institutions here.
to provide enhanced support to this transition
at this very critical juncture.
look, I, I have met some remarkable individuals over the last two days.
who I have met in in this country.
So I have full confidence in the resilience in the creativity
including the ones who currently lead it.
I think it's also very important
to bear in mind that transitions as I mentioned
are often fragile and they require a
lot of support from everyone both, of course, first and foremost by
the people of Bangladesh,
but also by the international community and and that has to be recognised.
And I really call for that support
and that is also part of my mission here.
It was a mission of solidarity and it was a mission of support to Bangladesh.