A team of the United Nations (UN) arrived in Dhaka on Thursday on an eight-day visit to discuss the process for investigating human rights violations in light of the recent violence and unrest.
"A team from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will be visiting Dhaka from August 22 to August 29, 2024 for preliminary discussions with the Interim Government and other stakeholders," according to a media advisory sent by the Communication Team of the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in Bangladesh.
It said that the purpose of this visit is to understand their priorities for assistance in promoting human rights.
"It is important to note that this visit is not an investigation, but rather it will focus on discussing the process for investigating human rights violations in light of the recent violence and unrest," said the advisory.
The UN Resident Coordinator's Office said that the visit is in response to a request from Bangladesh's Interim Government.
Once the details are finalized, it said, a separate fact-finding team will be dispatched in the coming weeks to conduct the investigation.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has conveyed admiration, solidarity, and support to the people of Bangladesh, particularly the youth, as they work towards advancing human rights for all, said the advisory. The team is expected
to meet with several government advisers and civil society members during their visit to gather information.
The move was announced by UN human rights Chief Volker Turk during a recent call with Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
The government has expressed its readiness to cooperate with the UN team to ensure a fair and impartial investigation.
The UN Resident Coordinator's Office noted that the UN team will not be available for media interviews during this visit.
Culprits of violence against journalists must be held to account: UN
The safety and wellbeing of journalists in Bangladesh and anywhere in the world is of critical importance for any country, especially one going through a transition, said UN Secretary-General's Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Wednesday.
"It is important that journalists be allowed to do their work and that those who commit violence against journalists be held to account," he said in a briefing in New York.
His comment came while he was responding to a question on the attacks on East West Media Group owned by the Bashundhara Group in Dhaka.
The journalist asked that newspaper offices of East West Media Group were attacked and vandalised on Monday afternoon. As a result, journalists are suffering from insecurity because the criminals have not been arrested yet.
