Volker Turk calls for strong oversight of Bangladesh security forces

UN Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Monday said the rights agency has called for a strong and independent institution to oversee the security forces in Bangladesh.

“In Bangladesh, we have been calling for a strengthened and independent national institution that has oversight of security forces”, he said while providing the global update to the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council.

Turk said the agency will keep working with governments to address militarized approaches to security and law enforcement.

“I know many of you are uncomfortable with what is done in the name of protecting national security. These outdated practices can be an albatross around the neck of government”, he said.

Turk visited Bangladesh following the July Uprising in 2024, engaging with the former interim government led by Nobel laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus to advocate for institutional reforms, human rights compliance, and justice for victims of past crackdowns.

In July 2025, paying tribute to the protesters who took part in the uprising that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Turk said his office “remains committed to supporting Bangladesh in advancing justice and healing.”

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), which is led by Volker Turk, published a fact-finding report on Bangladesh’s July Uprising in 2025 revealing that up to 1,400 people were killed during the weeks leading to Hasina's ouster.

The report accused Hasina government of potential crimes against humanity.

In November, 2025, the rights body called the International Crimes Tribunal's death sentence against Hasina an important moment for victims of July Uprising, while  reiterating its opposition to capital punishment.