report
This document is a report by Digitally Right Limited and OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference) examining the internet shutdowns that occurred during Bangladesh's student-led uprising from July 15 to August 5, 2024 — the country's longest internet shutdown at 22 days. The report reconstructs a verified timeline of the shutdowns, maps how they were enforced across different network layers, and assesses their implications for human rights and accountability. Main Topics Covered Scale and tactics: The shutdown involved multiple control methods including nationwide blackouts, bandwidth throttling, cache server deactivations, and social media/VPN blocking Correlation with violence: The most intense network disruptions coincided with spikes in casualties during the protests Governance and opacity: Shutdowns were executed through informal directives (including via WhatsApp) by multiple overlapping government bodies (BTRC, NTMC, DoT) with little transparency ISP involvement: Internet service providers and mobile operators were instructed to implement restrictions, often through verbal or informal orders Circumvention crackdown: Authorities actively blocked VPNs and other tools used to bypass restrictions The report concludes that internet shutdowns functioned as a central state tool to suppress dissent and control information during the political crisis that ultimately led to Sheikh Hasina's fall from power.
Source: Digitally Right
report2024-07-18
This document is an open letter dated July 2024 from Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, expressing grave concern over the violent government crackdown on student-led "quota reform" protests in Bangladesh. The letter documents that between 147 and 211 people were killed by security forces — including police, RAB, Border Guards, and military — who used birdshot, tear gas, and AK-pattern assault rifles against protesters, alongside violence perpetrated by the ruling party's student wing (BCL). The letter specifically condemns a nationwide internet shutdown lasting 11 days, shoot-on-sight curfew orders, a blanket ban on protests under Section 144, and the mass arrest of approximately 10,000 people with over 213,000 individuals accused in police cases. Amnesty International also highlights the broader pattern of suppressing dissent through repressive legislation such as the Digital Security Act and Cyber Security Act. The letter concludes with six concrete demands, including lifting the curfew, releasing detained protesters, ensuring accountability for unlawful killings, cooperating with a UN investigation, providing reparations to victims, and repealing repressive laws such as the Cyber Security Act 2023.
Source: Amnesty International
report2024-06-15
This is a preliminary human rights analysis report published by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on August 16, 2024, examining the protests and political unrest in Bangladesh between July and August 6, 2024. The report documents how initially peaceful student protests — triggered by a court ruling reinstating a 30% civil service job quota for descendants of 1971 independence war veterans — escalated into a major political crisis, resulting in hundreds of deaths (including at least 32 children), thousands of injuries, and the resignation and flight of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, followed by the formation of a civilian Interim Government under Dr. Muhammad Yunus. The main topics covered include: Excessive force and extrajudicial killings by security forces, including the Rapid Action Battalion Arbitrary arrests, torture, and enforced disappearances Internet shutdowns restricting communications and press freedom Nationwide curfews limiting freedom of movement Post-government-collapse attacks on religious minorities (particularly Hindus) across 27 districts Recommendations to the Interim Government and international community for accountability, security sector reform, and democratic transition
Source: UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
report2024-07-15
This investigative report, published by Digitally Right and OONI (Open Observatory of Network Interference) in July 2025, documents and analyzes the internet shutdowns that occurred in Bangladesh between July 15 and August 5, 2024, during the student-led uprising that ultimately resulted in the resignation and departure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The report reconstructs a verified chronological timeline of the shutdowns across five distinct phases, detailing how authorities deployed multiple overlapping tactics — including two complete nationwide internet blackouts (July 18–23 and August 5), mobile data throttling, broadband speed reductions, selective blocking of social media platforms (Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, Telegram, YouTube, and others), and crackdowns on VPN services — making it the longest and most geographically extensive internet shutdown in Bangladesh's history. Key findings include that the most severe disruptions directly coincided with the deadliest periods of protest violence (with an estimated 1,400 total deaths during the period), that shutdown directives were issued informally — often via WhatsApp — by multiple government bodies including BTRC, NTMC, and the Department of Telecommunications with little transparency or legal documentation, and that technical evidence from OONI, IODA, Cloudflare Radar, and Google traffic data independently corroborates the timing and scale of each disruption phase documented through media reporting and operator interviews.
Source: Open Observatory of Network Interference (OONI)
report2024-07-15
This news article from Digitally Right describes a new research report examining the internet shutdowns that occurred during Bangladesh's 2024 student-led uprising, specifically the 22-day blackout period from July 15 to August 5, 2024. The report, produced by Digitally Right Limited in collaboration with OONI, reconstructs a verified timeline of how the shutdowns were implemented across five distinct phases, linking network disruptions to political events, casualties, and chains of institutional responsibility. Main Topics Covered Scale and tactics: The shutdown was Bangladesh's longest ever, involving nationwide blackouts, bandwidth throttling, cache server deactivations, and social media/VPN blocking Correlation with violence: The most severe network disruptions coincided with spikes in protester deaths and human rights violations Institutional opacity: Shutdowns were carried out through informal directives (including via WhatsApp), with overlapping and unclear authority among multiple government bodies (BTRC, NTMC, DoT) ISP involvement: Internet service providers and mobile operators were used to enforce censorship, often under verbal orders Circumvention crackdown: Authorities actively blocked VPNs and other tools used to bypass restrictions
Source: Digitally Right
report2024-07-01
This is a press release from the United Nations in Bangladesh, dated September 16, 2024, announcing that a UN Human Rights Office fact-finding team has been established to investigate alleged human rights violations in Bangladesh. The investigation covers the period of July 1 to August 15, 2024, focusing on violations that occurred during recent protests, at the invitation of Bangladesh's Interim Government. The main topics covered include: A call for submissions from individuals, groups, and organizations with firsthand information about human rights violations during the protest period (submissions to be sent to OHCHR-FFTB-Submissions@un.org) The team's mandate to establish facts, identify responsibilities, analyze root causes, and make recommendations Key procedural details, including that the investigation is confidential, independent of any criminal justice process, and will conclude with a published human rights report containing findings and recommendations
Source: United Nations in Bangladesh
