UNITED NATIONS, Jul 23 (APP):UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres remains “very deeply concerned” about violent clashes across Bangladesh between student protesters and police over quotas for state jobs that resulted in more than 100 killed and thousands more injured and called for bring the perpetrators to justice.
“We’ve seen also that yesterday, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh decision on the quotas for the civil service jobs, which was part of the issues regarding the protests,” UN chief’s Spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, also noting that the Bangladeshi student groups have suspend protests for 48 hours.
“He (the Secretary-General) very much hopes that both these decisions will help create a conducive environment for dialogue, Dujarric said in a statement which urged all sides to avoid violence and negotiate in good faith, with a view towards resolving all existing disagreements.
“We also want to add that we urge the authorities to ensure the protection and safety of all protesters and to create an environment where the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly can be freely exercised.,” the statement said.
“And he calls for all acts of violence to be investigated promptly, transparently and impartially, and for those responsible [to be] held to account.”
Meanwhile, according to international media reports, student organizers in Bangladesh have said the Supreme Court ruling did not mean the end of the protests, which have escalated into the greatest challenge in years to the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, with many calling for her resignation. Sheikh Hasina, who has been in office since 2009, has been accused of authoritarianism and rampant corruption and her re-election in January was widely documented as rigged, according to these reports.
