STUDENTS/POSTDOCS: FILL UP THIS FORM TO SIGN THIS PETITION
July 21, 2024
We, the Bangladeshi students at institutions all over the USA, condemn the atrocities committed against Bangladeshi students and citizens by the government, with a current death toll of at least 150.
For the past few days, university students across the nation have been participating in protests demanding a reformation of the government job quota system to ensure fair employment opportunities, which allocates 56% of jobs disproportionately to special groups. They were exercising the essential rights of free speech and the right to criticize public policy without fear of retribution. What started as a peaceful protest, escalated quickly due to brutality by the police and unmitigated violence by pro-government student political groups. More than 100 students have been reported killed in the last three days, including middle and high schoolers, with thousands more injured. The government has intensified its crackdown on the protest by deploying the army on the streets and imposing a nationwide curfew.
Currently, the government has blocked internet access nationwide and jammed cellular networks in an attempt to suppress the protesters, another violation of human rights. As a result, Bangladesh is almost completely disconnected from the rest of the world. We are unable to communicate with our families and loved ones living in Bangladesh, and we are deeply fearful for their safety.
Free speech, debating public policy, and criticizing the government should be basic rights in any democracy. No one deserves to be killed for exercising these rights. These violations have led many to call the government's actions autocratic. A democratic country should not witness the tragic deaths of citizens for peaceful protest.
We express our deepest condolences to the victims and their families and demand justice and accountability from the police, political student groups, and those in power. We stand in solidarity with the student protests and citizens of Bangladesh. We call on the international community to support Bangladeshi citizens in their fight for civil liberties, democracy, and justice. We urge the international media to highlight these critical events and amplify the voices of those striving for justice and human rights.
In solidarity,
Bangladeshi Students in the United States of America
Sources:
- Death Toll In Bangladesh Unrest Reaches 105: Hospitals, By AFP - Agence France Presse, July 19, 2024, https://www.barrons.com/news/death-toll-in-bangladesh-unrest-reaches-105-hospitals-b63d6fc0
- Deadly Protests Grip Bangladesh, NY Times, July 19, 2024 https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/19/world/asia/bangladesh-protests-photos.html
- Bangladesh imposes curfew as protests continue, BBC News, July 19, 2024, https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cl4ymjrx10xo
- Bangladesh imposes curfew, deploys army as job quota protests continue, July 19 2024, Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/19/bangladesh-imposes-curfew-deploys-army-as-job-quota-protests-continue
- Bangladesh protests 2024, July 18 2024, Netra News https://netra.news/2024/liveblog-2024-7-18/
- 19 more die in Bangladesh clashes as student protesters try to impose a ‘complete shutdown, July 18 2024, AP News https://apnews.com/article/hasina-bangladesh-quota-student-protest-09879fc7539bc2a9daf7cdd4b2cb1776
- Bangladesh quota protests live: Students vow ‘shutdown’ as 19 killed, July 18 2024, Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/7/18/bangladesh-quota-protests-live-students-vow-shutdown-as-11-more-killed
- FirstPost Journalist Palki Sharma on X, July 18 2024, https://x.com/palkisu/status/1813950931400331712
- Bangladesh Quota Protests: At Least 5 Killed & 400 Injured | Vantage with Palki Sharma, Firstpost, July 17, 2024, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boNl0Wp6I4U
- Violent clashes erupt between police and protesters in Dhaka even after 6 die during campus protests, July 17, 2024, AP News. https://apnews.com/article/bangladesh-universities-close-hasina-quota-student-protest-77f82215bf8fce35f288ea39d812bcdb
- What’s behind Bangladesh’s violent quota protests?, July 16 2024, Al Jazeera https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/7/16/whats-behind-bangladeshs-violent-quota-protests
- Switching off the internet causes incalculable damage: UN report, 27 June 2022 https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2022/06/switching-internet-causes-incalculable-damage-un-report
- Internet Shutdowns And Their Detrimental Effects On Human Rights, The organization for World Peace, Oct 17, 2022. https://theowp.org/reports/internet-shutdowns-and-their-detrimental-effects-on-human-rights/
- Bangladesh: Government must urgently halt mounting death toll of protestors, July 17 2024, Amnesty International https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/government-of-bangladesh-must-urgently-halt-mounting-death-toll-of-protestors/
- Demonstration Alert – U.S. Embassy Dhaka, Bangladesh (JULY 21, 2024) https://bd.usembassy.gov/demonstration-alert-u-s-embassy-dhaka-bangladesh-july-21-2024/