The United Nations is following the situation in Bangladesh "very closely" and calls for calm and restraint in the wake of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation and escape from the country, a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday.
"The Secretary-General deplores the further loss of life during protests in Bangladesh over the weekend. He continues to closely follow developments in the country, including the Chief of Army Staff’s announcement regarding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and plans for the formation of an interim government," Farhan Haq, the UN Deputy Spokesperson, told the daily briefing.
"We continue to call for calm and restraint and to urge all parties to respect the right to peaceful assembly and expression," Haq said, adding that the UN urges security forces to protect those out on the streets of Dhaka and other cities of Bangladesh.
In response to a question from the Press Trust of India on the situation, Haq said: "For us, the important things are for the parties to remain calm, and we want to emphasise the importance of a peaceful, orderly and democratic transition.
"We stand in full solidarity with the people of Bangladesh at this time and we call for full respect for their democratic and human rights. And ultimately, regarding what's happened so far, there's a need for a full, independent and impartial investigation into all acts of violence." He added that the UN is in touch with authorities in the region, "and our country team is in touch with authorities in Bangladesh.
"But, right now the situation is moving very swiftly. We'll have to see what happens once the dust settles," he said.
Haq, referring to a statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Sunday, in which he had said the shocking violence in Bangladesh must stop, noted that scores more protesters were killed over the weekend.
At least 13 police officers were killed when a police station was attacked in Sirajganj district.
Türk said that with a mass march on Dhaka planned for Monday, and the youth wing of the ruling party calling a demonstration against the protesters, he was "deeply worried that there will be further loss of life and wider destruction".
"I appeal urgently to the political leadership and to the security forces to abide by their obligations to protect the right to life, the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression." "The government must cease targeting those participating peacefully in the protest movement, immediately release those arbitrarily detained, restore full Internet access, and create conditions for meaningful dialogue. The continuing effort to suppress popular discontent, including through the excessive use of force, and the deliberate spread of misinformation and incitement to violence, must immediately cease," Türk said.
Bangladesh descended into chaos as Prime Minister Hasina surreptitiously resigned and fled the country in a military aircraft while the army stepped in to fill the power vacuum.
As the news of Hasina’s departure spread, hundreds broke into her residence, vandalising and looting the interiors, providing dramatic expression to the anti-government protests that have killed more than 300 people in a fortnight.
The embattled Bangladeshi leader later in landed at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad as part of her plan to go to London.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, accompanied by senior officials, met Hasina at the airbase near Delhi and is understood to have conveyed India’s position on the developments in Bangladesh, sources said.
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