Bangladesh’s armed forces denied on Monday that United Nations pressure played a role in the decision by top brass last year not to quash protests that ousted ex-premier Sheikh Hasina.
A student-led uprising ended Hasina’s 15-year tenure last August, with soldiers failing to intervene as thousands marched on her palace and forced her into exile.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk told the BBC last week that his office had warned that military involvement in any crackdown could result in Bangladeshi soldiers being banned from peacekeeping missions.
Bangladesh’s army said in a statement that it had not received “any direct communication” to that effect.
“This remark… appears to misrepresent the role of the Bangladesh Army and potentially undermines its reputation, sacrifice, and professionalism,” it said.
“During the July-August 2024 protests, the Army once again stood by the people, ensuring public safety without bias or external influence.” Bangladesh is one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping forces globally and its operations are a lucrative source of income for the country’s soldiers.
Turk said in his comments to the BBC that he had been thanked by student leaders during his visit to Bangladesh last year.
“The students were so grateful to us for taking a stand, speaking out, and supporting them,” he said.
The UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights sent a fact-finding mission to Bangladesh last year to investigate Hasina’s ouster.
Its report, published last month, found “reasonable grounds to believe that the top echelons” of Hasina’s government had committed “very serious” rights violations while attempting to suppress the protests that toppled her.
More than 800 people were killed during last year’s unrest.
On the other hand, an expert team was in Bangladesh on Monday to sign off on the South Asian country’s first nuclear power plant ahead of the contentious facility’s expected operational start later this year.
Construction on the Russia-backed nuclear plant at Rooppur began in 2017 during the iron-fisted tenure of former premier Sheikh Hasina, whose family has been accused of taking kickbacks from the deal.
The much-delayed 2,400-megawatt project is aimed at bolstering an overstretched energy grid and will be Bangladesh’s largest power station by generating capacity once fully operational.
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