United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Friday voiced his concerns about the killing of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a prominent leader in the 2024 student protest that led to the ouster of the Sheikh Hasina government.
Hadi had been shot on December 12 while he was leaving a mosque in Dhaka. He died on Thursday at a hospital in Singapore, where he had been flown for treatment, Prothom Alo reported. The authorities have accused a person identified as Faisal Karim Masud of shooting Hadi and named another person, Alamgir Sheikh, as his accomplice.
After the news of Hadi’s death broke on Thursday night, his supporters took to the streets of Dhaka, demanding action against his killers.
Protesters vandalised the offices of two Bangladeshi newspapers – Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. As a result, the print edition of the papers could not be published on Friday. The online portals were also temporarily unavailable on Friday.
The UN human rights chief called for calm, adding that “retaliation and revenge will only deepen divisions and undermine the rights of all”.
“I urge the authorities to conduct a prompt, impartial, thorough and transparent investigation into the attack that led to Hadi’s death, and to ensure due process and accountability for those responsible,” Türk said in a statement.
The Army was deployed at the offices of the newspapers and several staff members were rescued by firefighters, reported Deutsche Welle.
Hadi was a senior leader of the student group Inqilab Mancha. The group distanced itself from the violence that took place on Thursday night and Friday, alleging that opportunists were trying to derail the demonstrations.
“They essentially want to turn Bangladesh into a dysfunctional state through vandalism and arson,” the group stated. “They want to endanger the independence and sovereignty of this country.”
Hadi was shot a day after the authorities announced that Bangladesh would hold a national election on February 12.
This will be the first election since the resignation of Hasina, who had fled to India in August 2024 after several weeks of widespread student-led protests against her government. She was ousted from power after 16 years in office.
With the election scheduled for February, Türk said it is “vital to ensure an environment in which all individuals can participate safely and peacefully in public life, and freely express different views”.
The UN official urged the authorities to uphold the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and provide security of journalists “at this critical time, and prevent further escalation of unrest”.
Also read: View from Bangladesh: What student leader’s killers aim to achieve – and how they can be defeated
You’ve read Scroll.
Now help sustain it
Scroll is funded by readers, not corporate owners. If you believe our work matters, support our newsroom. Become a member today!
We’re not driven by clicks or corporate interests – just honest, independent reporting. Keep us going. Support Scroll today!