UN calls for probe into killings during Bangladesh unrest

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DHAKA: A top United Nations human rights official on Wednesday called for a thorough investigation of all killings and other rights violations during the violent unrest leading up to and after the fall of Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk concluded a two-day visit to Bangladesh on Wednesday, as an interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus is navigating through challenges to establish order in the country. Turk has already sent a fact-finding mission to look into the killings after the Yunus-led government formally requested an investigation by the UN. Hasina had also sought an investigation into the killings.

Turk highlighted the need to thoroughly investigate the allegations of attacks on the country’s minority groups, including its Hindu religious minority, which has been protesting on streets demanding safety and other rights.