New Delhi, Jan 17, (.) Bangladesh’s former foreign minister Hasan Mahmud on Saturday strongly criticised a UNHCR report on the July–August, 2024 student movement, calling it “highly biased” and accusing it of overlooking violence against members of the Awami League and security forces.
Mahmud who was speaking at a press conference, the first of its kind organised by the Awami League leaders in Delhi, also vowed that his party “would come back to power” with “Sheikh Hasina leading the government.”
Speaking to reporters here, Mahmud alleged that the report failed to account for the killing of thousands of police personnel during the unrest. He claimed that nearly 3,000 policemen were killed and cited an incident in which an entire police station, with about 40 officers inside, was set on fire.
The United Nations Human Rights Commission (UNHRC) report, which the Awami League rebutted was released a year back in February 2025. Mahmud also questioned the credibility of the casualty figures cited in the UN document, saying they were “one-sided” and lacked proper verification.
He alleged that no stakeholders were consulted and that there was no clear provenance for the data. According to him, several individuals listed as having been killed in official gazettes issued by the Yunus administration were later found to be alive. The former foreign minister told reporters in reply to a question on whether his party was considering forming a government in exile, that “we will return to Bangladesh with Sheikh Hasina leading us” to form a government.
Mahmud, who was speaking along with Golam Maruf Majumdar Nijhoom, head of the legal team of the International Crimes Research foundation, also said that the Awami League was in the process of compiling a comprehensive account of killings and atrocities committed since the August revolt.
He alleged that eight members of the Hindu community had been killed in the past two weeks alone. He said the party intended to submit its findings to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR), the European union (EU) and the Commonwealth Secretariat, urging them to either take action or independently verify the allegations.
The UNHCR report, which examined alleged human rights violations during the student-led protests, has drawn criticism from Awami League leaders, who argue that it focuses disproportionately on state actions while downplaying violence against party supporters and law enforcement agencies. The Yunus-led interim administration has not yet responded to the allegations. . JMB/JRC KK