At least 173 dead, more than 1,100 detained – Macau Today

At least 173 people have been killed and more than 1,100 detained in Bangladesh in recent days in protests over civil service recruitment quotas, AFP reported yesterday.

The student movement that sparked the demonstrations suspended protests for 48 hours on Monday, with its leader declaring he did not want reforms “at the cost of so much bloodshed.”

Authorities have imposed a curfew and soldiers are patrolling cities in the South Asian country, the world’s eighth most populous country, according to AFP. The army announced it had restored order on Monday evening.

At least 200 people were detained in the Narayanganj and Narsingdi districts in the central part of the country, the local police chief told AFP.

In addition, at least 80 people were detained in Bogra, 75 in the city of Rangpur (in the north of the country), 168 in the industrial city of Ghazipur near the capital, and 60 in Barisal (in the south), police officials added.

A total of 532 people were arrested in Dhaka, it was announced on Monday.

AFP added that a strong military presence could be seen in the capital this morning.

In early July, almost daily demonstrations, mainly led by students, aimed to end admission quotas to public services, with protesters claiming they supported elites close to power.

The protests have escalated in recent days, the biggest challenge Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has faced since she won a fourth term in office in January in an election boycotted by the main opposition group.

International appeal

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch (HRW), a non-governmental human rights organization, called on the international community to “stop the excessive use of force against protesters and hold the military accountable for human rights violations.”

“Bangladesh has long been plagued by unbridled abuse of power by security forces against anyone who opposes Sheikh Hasina’s government, and we are once again witnessing the same practice, this time attacking unarmed student protesters,” said the deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division in a statement.

Meenakshi Ganguly noted: “It is time for the influential government to put pressure on Sheikh Hasina so that her army stops brutalizing students and other protesters.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday also called on the Bangladeshi government to respect “the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly” and called for “prompt and transparent investigations into the violence.”