9 published sources match these filters.
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
report2024-07-01
This February 2025 Amnesty International news article responds to a UN Fact-Finding report on human rights violations in Bangladesh. The UN report found reasonable grounds to believe that the former government led by ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and its security forces systematically committed serious human rights violations — potentially rising to the level of crimes against humanity — during anti-government protests between July 1 and August 15, 2024. Amnesty International's South Asia regional director calls on Bangladesh's Interim Government to act on the UN's key recommendations, including referring the incidents to the International Criminal Court, guaranteeing fair trials, reforming security and justice sectors, and repealing restrictive laws. The article emphasizes that continued engagement with UN human rights mechanisms is essential to deliver justice, accountability, and reparations to victims and survivors.
Source: Amnesty International
report2024-07-15
This document is an open letter dated August 19, 2024, signed by 13 human rights organizations including FIDH, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, addressed to UN member states regarding a severe human rights crisis in Bangladesh. The letter calls on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an independent international investigative mechanism to examine violent events between July 15 and August 5, 2024, during which at least 440 people were killed and thousands injured when Bangladeshi security forces and ruling party supporters violently cracked down on student-led quota reform protests, ultimately leading to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation and flight from the country. The organizations specifically request five actions: establishing an independent evidence-gathering mechanism, mandating ongoing human rights monitoring during the interim government's transition period, ensuring accountability under international law, addressing pre-July 2024 violations including enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, and strengthening Bangladesh's legal and judicial institutions — citing the government's history of excessive force, internet shutdowns, mass arrests of nearly 10,000 people, and over 600 documented enforced disappearances since 2009.
Source: International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
report2024-08-19
This document is a joint open letter published by Human Rights Watch and 12 other human rights organizations on August 19, 2024, addressed to the UN Human Rights Council, urging urgent action regarding serious human rights violations in Bangladesh. The letter calls for the establishment of an independent international investigative mechanism and ongoing UN monitoring following a deadly government crackdown on student-led quota-reform protests between July 15 and August 5, 2024, which resulted in at least 440 deaths, thousands of injuries, and nearly 10,000 arrests. The letter covers several key topics, including the violent suppression of protests by Bangladeshi security forces and Awami League party supporters, the subsequent resignation and flight of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, post-resignation reprisal attacks against minorities and perceived government supporters, and Bangladesh's broader history of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture dating back to 2009. The organizations specifically request that the UN Human Rights Council establish an independent investigative mechanism, mandate comprehensive monitoring throughout the interim government's transition period, and support the new interim government led by Muhammad Yunus in strengthening its legal and judicial capacity to address accountability.
Source: Human Rights Watch