By Muhammad Tanvir Hashem Munim
For the last few days, Bangladesh has seceded from the outside world. The government has imposed a communication blackout amid its crackdown on the student protestors demanding quota reforms. It has enforced a nationwide curfew and deployed military forces.
The student protests in Bangladesh demanding quota reforms began in early 2018. The movement was sparked by growing frustration among university students over the existing public sector job quota system, which they felt disproportionately favoured certain groups at the expense of merit-based selection. The quota system in the country reserves 56% of government first-class and second-class jobs for some specific groups. In some job sectors, this quota reservation may reach as many as 96% of the jobs. Such a system caused discontent among the university students.
The discontent led to organised demonstrations, initially gaining momentum at Dhaka University and quickly spreading to other universities across the country. The students’ primary demand was to significantly reduce the quotas and allocate more jobs based on merit, ensuring equal opportunities for all candidates. The movement gained widespread support, highlighting broader issues of fairness and transparency in government recruitment processes.
Over the last week, these protests reignited following the Bangladesh Supreme Court’s (High Court Division) decision to reinstate the controversial quota system, which reserves a significant portion of public sector jobs for certain groups. According to reports, 174 people have been killed nationwide (Source: The Independent, 23.07.2024). Local sources indicate that the actual number of deaths may be significantly higher, but the ongoing communication blackout has obstructed the flow of information from the conflict-ridden country (Source: The Independent, 23.07.2024). The demonstrations have escalated into violent clashes, with thousands of students, journalists, and police officers injured. These demonstrations, initially peaceful, saw an increase in violence after those in power made inflammatory comments comparing the protesters to historical collaborators with Pakistan, prompting hundreds of thousands of students to take to the streets. The government’s response has included, amongst others, educational institutions closures and an internet blackout in an attempt to quell the unrest.
Article 37 of the Bangladesh Constitution guarantees the right to assemble and participate in peaceful demonstrations, while Article 39 guarantees freedom of speech, subject to ‘reasonable’ restrictions imposed by law. While the spectrum of ‘reasonable’ is debated it can never extend to such an extent that leads to the deaths of the protestors. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 10, 1948, which serves as a significant milestone in the promotion and protection of human rights globally, declares freedom of speech (Article 19 of UDHR) and freedom of assembly (Article 20 of UDHR) as inalienable rights of all human being. It is extremely sad to see how these inalienable rights of Bangladeshi Citizens have been violated in this quota protest, leading to the violation of superior rights like the right to life and liberty guaranteed in the Bangladesh Constitution (Article 32 of the Bangladesh Constitution).
The legality of quota reform in Bangladesh is undoubtedly a matter open to debate, involving complex legal, social, and political considerations. However, the tragic deaths of protesters of the quota system transcend legal arguments and touch on fundamental human rights and ethical principles. Regardless of one’s stance on the reform, the loss of life during such protests is unequivocally unacceptable and cannot be justified or supported under any legal framework. The focus must be on ensuring that the rights to peaceful protest and freedom of speech are upheld and that such tragic events are addressed with accountability and respect for human dignity rather than being overshadowed by contentious legal and political debates.
Bangladeshi students at City, University of London express their profound concern and anguish over the deaths during the ongoing protests. Demonstrating solidarity with their peers protesting in Bangladesh, they strongly condemn the violence and call for an immediate end to the repression. They urge the government to halt the ongoing atrocities. They want to see that those responsible for these tragic losses are held accountable. They stand united with the protestors in safeguarding their democratic rights, emphasising that no cause justifies the loss of life or the suppression of voices calling for change.
Caption: Abu Sayed, a student from English Department of Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, Bangladesh, standing with his arms wide open and chest out in front of the police force during the protests, moments before his tragic death.
July 24, 2024 at 4:10 pm
#savebangladeshistudents
#stepdownhasina
August 3, 2024 at 1:34 pm
Well written and informative, things do not change unless we make a scene.
Same story different characters.
July 24, 2024 at 5:50 pm
Thanks for sharing your insights and in very adequate language.
I hope we’ll see more of your contributions.
Stefan Ziegler
AdvocacyProductions
Geneva
July 25, 2024 at 10:21 am
Thank you very much Stefan.
July 25, 2024 at 1:14 am
Great Article by Barrister M.T.H.Munim.
Bangladesh was globally disconnected for 05 Days 18 Hours (Ops ! No Internet) from all kinds of online communications on sudden collapse of Country’s main data center!
July 25, 2024 at 10:22 am
Thank you Jahan for providing up-to-date information.
July 25, 2024 at 2:18 pm
It was a pleasure to read such thoughtful insights on this burning matter. Keep doing the good work. May the almighty help you in your journey.
July 25, 2024 at 2:41 pm
Thank you very much Abdul Kaium.
July 26, 2024 at 10:19 am
sad in the world that corrupt people always hurt many others
July 26, 2024 at 10:46 am
Dear Nikos, so sad indeed!
July 26, 2024 at 10:28 am
Very well analysed and insightful blog/ commentary. A timely contribution.
Raian Hossain (Doctoral Researcher at the University of Nottignham).
July 26, 2024 at 10:47 am
Thank you very much dear Raian.
July 26, 2024 at 10:30 am
Thank you for sharing this well-written article. I did not know about what is happening in Bangladesh and the causes and now feel much more informed.
Vanessa
Alchemy Law
United States
July 26, 2024 at 10:48 am
You are welcome Dear Vanessa. Glad that it could inform you of the situation and some of the causes.
July 26, 2024 at 1:05 pm
How about instead of job quotas we give the work to the hardest working qualified candidate?
How about instead of choosing violence in the sight of injustice we choose NONviolent civil disobedience?
It never ceases to amaze me how “do to your neighbor as you do to yourself” has limitless untapped potential.
Josh Wanggaard
Think Say Go
bridging social barriers in search of living in the truth
August 1, 2024 at 6:13 pm
Dear Josh,
Thanks for asking the questions. I hope the decision-makers consider questions like this and have the best intentions in their hearts when answering them. I agree, the neighborhood principle you mentioned does indeed have limitless potential.
July 28, 2024 at 6:55 am
“The current regime occupied power through rigged elections and since then has been oppressing political dissidents through brutal killings by loyal State forces like Police, RAB, BGB, Army, forced disappearances by State forces, mass arrests, jailing, and death penalties by rubber-stamp courts. It destroyed all State institutions to reign in a brutal autocratic way. Now, the oppression has fallen upon the unarmed civilians. The city of Dhaka is a killing ground for students as young as 4 years old. The regime staged itself as the champion of secular, liberal forces against the Islamic extremist force but in reality courted Islamic extremist forces for its political gain and became a trusted ally of the Indian Hindutva extremist party BJP.
It killed not only hundreds of civilians and members of political oppositions but also democracy, civil rights, human rights, and the rule of law in the country.
The international community must take strong measures to restore democracy and stop the ongoing slaughter of thousands of unarmed civilians in Bangladesh.
July 29, 2024 at 3:17 pm
We all want justice for those innocent students who sacrificed their lives and those who still struggling to survive. We all have to raise our voice to restore democracy in our country which is almost extinct for last 15 years.
August 1, 2024 at 6:03 pm
Dear Tasnim,
Indeed, justice is what we want. Thanks for your input.
July 30, 2024 at 2:44 pm
Thank you for your important and well-written article. Its significance reverberates well beyond Bangladesh. State repression in response to those who exercise their fundamental democratic and human rights can never be condoned. The violators of these rights need to be held accountable under both national and international law.
Beth S. Lyons, International Criminal Defence and Human Rights Attorney
August 1, 2024 at 6:01 pm
Dear Beth,
You are welcome. We are hopeful that atrocities like this won’t go unpunished and that justice will be delivered to the real perpetrator(s), especially as we see the fight against impunity gaining momentum across the globe.
September 23, 2024 at 5:34 am
This article sheds light on the tragic situation in Bangladesh, where student protests for quota reform have been met with violence. The loss of life and suppression of fundamental rights like freedom of speech and assembly is alarming. The government must prioritize accountability and respect for democratic principles. now bangladesh is independent.
if you want read more visit my recent blog about this.
https://abdulkader21.blogspot.com/2024/09/student-reform-quota-movement-turning.html