On July 29, seventy-four prominent citizens demanded that a high-level expert team from the United Nations oversee the investigation into the killings of civilians during the quota reform protests. In a statement, they called for justice for the “murder of students and citizens during the quota reform protest.”
The signatories included human rights activists such as Sultana Kamal, Iftekharuzzaman, Dr. Hamida Hossain, Khushi Kabir, Rasheda K Chowdhury, and economists like Dr. Wahiduddin Mahmood, Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman, Prof. Anu Muhammad, and Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, among others.
The statement emphasized the need for transparent, fair, impartial, and independent investigations into the incidents where ordinary students, peace-loving citizens, teenagers, and children were killed, tortured, or injured by police, RAB, other forces, or government-backed armed individuals. They insisted that these investigations must be overseen by a high-level expert team from the United Nations to ensure accountability.
The citizens expressed deep sorrow and outrage over the government’s labeling of the peaceful student protests as a political conspiracy and the subsequent violence and repression that followed. They highlighted that since July 16, state forces, including the police and the student wing of the ruling party, encouraged by several ministers, have engaged in unprecedented violence against protesters.
The statement condemned the use of armored vehicles bearing the UN logo, the deployment of the army and border security forces, the imposition of curfews, and the reported use of sound grenades and gunfire from helicopters against peaceful protesters.
The signatories called for the government to disclose the actual number of casualties, provide compensation to the families of the deceased, and take responsibility for the medical treatment of the injured. They also demanded an end to arbitrary arrests, detentions, and harassment of students and civilians, and urged for the restoration of a conducive educational environment.
The statement concluded with a call for a national civic mourning event to honor the victims and show solidarity with those affected by the violence.