Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
The Bangladesh High Court has directed the government to recognise the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) fact-finding report on the July 2024 uprising as a historic document.
A bench of Justice Fahmida Kader and Justice Mubina Asaf on Wednesday (August 21) ordered the cabinet secretary and relevant authorities to issue a gazette notification within three months, officially acknowledging it as the “July Revolution 2024.” The case has also been declared a continuing matter.
The directive came on a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Tanvir Ahmed. He noted that the HC had earlier issued a rule asking why the UN report on human rights violations during the uprising should not be preserved for future generations for research and knowledge. “Today, the court disposed of that rule and gave this directive,” Tanvir said.
The OHCHR fact-finding team reviewed incidents of human rights abuses between July 1 and August 15, 2024, interviewing victims, the seriously injured, and numerous protestors. The report was released in February.