We express our strong solidarity with the students of Bangladesh who are fighting for their fundamental rights. We are shocked and appalled and raise our grave concern that since Wednesday (17 July 2024), the Government of Bangladesh has been carrying out an indiscriminate killing of student protesters. According to all available reports, over a hundred people, most of them students, have already been killed, and thousands of others are injured. However, it is not possible to verify the exact number because of the complete blackout of the internet, all television channels and other telecommunications in Bangladesh. The government has imposed a nationwide curfew starting Saturday, July 20th, amid a telecommunications blackout that has cut the country of approximately 170 million people off from the rest of the world as clashes between students and security forces have intensified. We can’t communicate with our families and friends back in Bangladesh and live in serious fear for their well-being and safety.
We therefore ask the Australian government and other international communities to condemn the brutality of fascist government of Bangladesh and put pressure to immediately stop severe human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, inhuman physical tortures, enforced disappearance of opposition activists by various law enforcement agencies and stop killing innocent students and civilians.