Student protests: UN team to visit Bangladesh next week to probe killings

The United Nations will send a fact-finding team to Bangladesh next week to probe atrocities committed during the student-led protests in July and early this month.

UN human rights chief Volker Turk announced the move when he called Chief Adviser (CA) Professor Muhammad Yunus late yesterday, the CA press wing said today.

This will be the first UN fact-finding mission to Bangladesh since its independence in 1971 to investigate widespread human rights abuses in the country, according to a UN official.

During the phone conversation, Volker Türk said a UN-led investigation would be launched very soon to probe the killing of the protesters during the "Student Revolution" and that a team of UN experts would soon visit the country to set up the investigation.

Yunus thanked him for supporting the students' revolution and championing their rights during the unprecedented and devastating killing of student protesters.

The 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner said human rights would be the cornerstone of his administration, and the protection of every citizen is the utmost priority of the government.