NEW DELHI, July 19 (Bernama) -- The United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office will open a mission in Bangladesh as the country seeks to fix accountability for the hundreds of killings during last year's mass uprising.
The Geneva-based body has signed a three-year memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Bangladesh interim government to set up a mission "to support the promotion and protection of human rights."
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and Bangladesh foreign secretary Asad Alam Siam signed the MoU.
"The signing of this memorandum sends an important message of the country’s commitment to human rights as a cornerstone of the transition," Türk said in a statement on Friday.
Noting that it has been working with various stakeholders and "conducting a comprehensive fact-finding inquiry into deadly repression of mass protests", the UN rights body said its mission in Bangladesh will offer training and technical help to the authorities towards meeting the country's national and international human rights commitments.
About 1,400 people died during the July to August 2024 uprising against Sheikh Hasina's nearly 16-year rule.
Hasina, who resigned and fled to India on August 5, is facing a raft of charges, including for crimes against humanity and corruption.
The Bangladesh government recently declared August 5 a nationwide public holiday to be observed as July Mass Uprising Day.
-- BERNAMA
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