The union recently sent a letter to Md Asaduzzaman, the Attorney General of Bangladesh, requesting the restoration of peace in Bangladesh and support those affected by the events that followed the Dhaka University protests.  

“It is important that we continue to do solidarity work that is dedicated to addressing global human rights violations and using our voice to support those that need it” stated TRUSU Equity Committee Executive, Gopi Yerraguntla. 

Students that peaceful assembled at Dhaka University to protest a change to their government’s hiring standards, were met with a severe response of excessive force from authorities which included beatings and the use of live ammunition. This force had a major impact as thousands were injured and hundreds of lives were lost. In addition to that devastation, thousands of protesters, including activists, journalists and civilians, have been detained without due process. These actions blatantly disregard the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a set of codes that was created by the United Nations of which Bangladesh has been a member of since 1974. Of these codes, there has been violations including but not limited to: the right to freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention, freedom of opinion and expression, and the freedom to peacefully assemble; all of which showcase the systemic efforts to silence detainees. 

The events following the protests in Bangladesh have been of great importance to many across the globe. “Given that many people within our community here at TRU have direct ties to Bangladesh”, Yerraguntla notes that “it is imperative that we stand in solidarity with those affected by holding Bangladesh accountable to the events following this conflict”. 

Take Action 

For anyone at home who wishes to contribute positively and take a stand on this issue, Amnesty International has created a petition that invites everyone to join in calling on Bangladesh to protect those impacted. This petition calls for the following principles: to end the crackdown on fundamental human rights, conduct a (thorough, effective, independent, and impartial) investigation into the deaths, hold the perpetrators accountable, urgently lift the “shoot on sight” curfew orders, the blanket ban on protests, and immediately release all those who have been arrested solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. We hope that you will take action with us in solidarity with the people of Bangladesh involved. 

The Union awaits a response from Md Asaduzzaman on this urgent matter.