Thanks to the support of the European Commission, the United Against Torture Consortium has a dedicated stream of work in Bangladesh.
This collective work initially began under the Consortium’s Crisis Response Procedure, based on our response to the rise in torture and other ill-treatment in 2024. You can read more about our work in 2024, as well as the Consortium’s Crisis Response Procedure, below.
2025-2026
In January 2025, responding to the increase in state violence – particularly the repression of the student uprising in July and August 2024 – and the impact of this violence on civil society, the UATC began an 18 month project in Bangladesh under EU Crisis Facility funding.
Through this project, we are supporting Bangladeshi civil society in responding to the aftermath of the 2024 violence, and advocating for the Interim Government to take decisive steps to deal with the legacy of torture including through the implementation of OPCAT and establishing a national preventive mechanism. We provide support for rehabilitation services for survivors of violence and torture, legal support for redress, and monitor use of force in the context of protests and other assemblies.
Omega’s expertise in the use of force by law enforcement exposes use in Bangladesh of weapons and equipment that violates international human rights law standards and to support documentation of torture cases to the relevant evidentiary standards. Through local translation and national promotion, we are working to raise awareness within police and other law enforcement institutions of relevant standards, including the UN Model Protocol for Law Enforcement Officials to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests, the UN Human Rights Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement, and the Consortium’s Challenging Repression: A Guide to Addressing the Misuse of Police Weapons in Protests.
We are uncovering the Bangladeshi manufacture, supply, and import of torture tools, and are particularly advocating for a ban on metal pellets and multiple kinetic impact projectiles (KIPs). We’re sharing our expertise through technical support for Bangladeshi organisations, including on open source intelligence gathering specific to torture tools and torture-free trade, and are developing a greater understanding of use of equipment in Bangladesh through their inputs.
The Consortium is pleased to be able to provide small financial grants to Bangladeshi organisations to support their work to prevent torture, uphold and protect human rights, and shed light on the effects of torture on individuals, families, and communities.
Recent Updates
PARI – Policy Analysis and Research Initiative: Through the Consortium, Omega is supporting PARI’s research into mob violence and police use of force, a growing issue in communities across Bangladesh.
Sapran – সপ্রান: Through the Consortium, Omega is supporting research and advocacy on police use of force and ensuring that survivor voices are heard, with a particular campaign focus on metal pellets.
Archive & Resist Conclave: With our partners at Thraets, we joined archivists, human rights defenders, activists, and many others at the Conclave to share our work on tear gas, protest rights, and documenting and monitoring police use of force.
Al Jazeera’s ‘Business of War’: In this episode of the series with Hind Hassan, learn about militarised policing across the world – including in Bangladesh – and the use of a range of different types of weapons by law enforcement.
Context
This collective work initially began under the Consortium’s Crisis Response Procedure. This procedure acknowledges that while many crisis situations of torture and other ill treatment are chronic, requiring a sustained response, others are acute and require immediate responses. Our Consortium Crisis Response Procedure was used for the first time as Bangladesh approached its general election in January 2024, and as the rise in torture went hand in hand with attacks on the rule of law.
Although the level of violence during the January 2024 elections proved lower than feared, the Hasina regime responded brutally to growing protests, particularly those led by students. This culminated in the repression of the student uprising in July and August of 2024, eventually leading to the removal of the Hasina regime, but leaving over 1500 dead and thousands injured, particularly through the unlawful use of shotgun-fired metal pellets.
Work in 2024:
- Providing support and rehabilitation to survivors of torture.
- Research into the type and origin of equipment used by Bangladeshi security forces to torture and ill-treat protesters
- Series of statements (in English and Bengali) aimed at the government in Dhaka and its international partners, calling for restraint, upholding international law and standards and an end to torture and impunity.
- Emergency grants and training on torture documentation for the Human Rights Development Centre (HRDC).
- Advocacy campaign with UN and EU officials to press for no return to ‘business as usual’ following an election marred by torture, specifically addressing the EU’s important trade relationship with Dhaka.
- Online training
- documenting use of force and injuries arising from police use of force during protests
- providing support and rehabilitation to survivors of torture.
