Schoolchildren and student protests in Bangladesh 2018

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Road blockade in Dhaka as part of the protests

The student protests in Bangladesh in 2018 took place across the country in late July and early August 2018, with a focus on Dhaka . The trigger was a serious bus accident in which a schoolboy and a schoolgirl were killed. The protesters called for the bus driver responsible to be severely punished, but above all for a general improvement in road safety in Bangladesh. The international press reported tens of thousands of participants in the protests.

background

On July 29, 2018, according to eyewitness reports, two Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan buses competed on the arterial road from the city center to the airport . One of the buses drove into a crowd of waiting schoolchildren and students on the way from Mirpur to Uttara . A student from Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment School and College died at the scene of the accident and seven others were injured. The accident occurred around 12:30 p.m. local time. The first demonstrations took place immediately afterwards. The road was blocked for about an hour and several buses were destroyed. The father of one of the victims, himself a bus driver, named the lack of qualifications as a possible cause of the accident, or the lack of verification by both the police and the bus company.

In general, traffic in Bangladesh is dangerous and poorly regulated. In particular, the lack of training and qualification of drivers is a known problem.

The protests come at a time of growing unrest in the country. Only a few months ago there were protests against a discriminatory quota system for the recruitment of civil servants. In the further course of the year there are elections, which the outcome of the protests could influence.

course

Protesting students and their families on August 2, 2018

The protests resumed the day after the accident and lasted for several days. They expanded from Dhaka to other parts of the country. The protesters mostly set up road blockades and checked the drivers' papers. They also took on other tasks that were actually attributable to the traffic police, such as managing traffic in orderly lanes and the like. Occasionally there was vandalism and destruction of buses. The demands that have been made again and again include the demand for an end to corruption.

On Saturday, August 4, 2018, the police tried to break up the student protests using tear gas and batons and other violent means. Doctors on site reported more than 100 wounded, some with serious injuries from rubber bullets. According to eyewitness reports, in addition to police violence, there were also acts of violence by civilians who, as was suspected, were related to the ruling Awami League . A police spokesman denied the use of force to the AFP .

Local journalists also reported that they were stopped and beaten by civilians and police officers, and that equipment was destroyed. They were also beaten while in police custody. A Daily Star journalist reported sexual assault by civilians who she suspected were members of the Awami League.

Violent clashes involving members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League , an Awami League student organization, lasted for several hours. Rumors of fatalities and rape have circulated and contributed to escalation, but have so far not been confirmed.

The protests continued on Sunday, August 5, 2018. Again there were attempts by the police to break up the rally of the peaceful demonstrating pupils and students with tear gas. Again there were violent attacks on journalists. Renowned photographer and human rights activist Shahidul Alam was picked up from his home by plainclothes police at around 10:00 p.m. and placed in custody. In an interview broadcast a few hours earlier on Al Jazeera , he had spoken about the protests. He was accused of making provocative statements that were punishable under Section 57 of the Information Communications Technology Act of Bangladesh. He was brought before the court on Monday, and eyewitnesses said he was unable to walk after being mistreated in prison. Initially, the term of detention was set at seven days. Amnesty International called for Shahidul Alam to be released. In mid-August, it became known that a court had extended the detention indefinitely. A prison sentence of up to fourteen years is possible by law.

On Monday, August 6, 2018, there were again violent attacks on protesting students in front of the private East West University. According to eyewitness accounts, men with sticks beat the students. When the students withdrew inside the university, the police again used tear gas to break up the protests. On that day, too, there are reports of attacks on journalists in which civilians and police cooperated. For example, a journalist for the daily Prothom Alo reported that the smartphone with which she was filming the events was removed from her by uniformed men who then took her to a police station. The police deleted the data on her smartphone there.

In the following days, the wave of protests gradually subsided.

Political reactions

The Ministry of Education ordered the closure of all secondary schools on Thursday, August 2, 2018, in the hope that this would ease the situation.

On August 3, 2018, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina handed over savings bonds worth 2,000,000 Taka , corresponding to around 20,400 euros, to the grieving relatives of the young people who were killed . She listened to the families and promised to take appropriate measures to prevent such accidents in the future. Above all, these measures should guarantee that no more unfit vehicles would be used and that all drivers actually had a driving license. There are also rest rooms for drivers on long journeys.

On the evening of August 4, 2018, there were nationwide restrictions on the mobile network, possibly to prevent images of the unrest from spreading on the Internet. The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission denied that it had given instructions and assured that the Internet was fully functional. However, this contradicts reports that nationwide 3G and 4G connections were not available.

On Sunday, August 5, 2018, Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal announced that the protesters' demands had been accepted. He announced a so-called traffic week for the whole country and asked schoolchildren and students to return to their classrooms.

On the same day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina publicly asked students and young people in particular not to believe rumors and propaganda and to check the truthfulness of news. It also announced plans to have all public transport carried out by only six companies in the future in order to ensure better control.

On August 6, 2018, the government first announced that it was considering changing the law, according to which those who cause fatal accidents could be punished with the death penalty. So far the corresponding maximum sentence is three years in prison. Later that day, she put forward plans for a major change in the law that would provide for a maximum five-year sentence for fatal accidents. This plan also provides for an increase in the penalties for driving unregistered vehicles or vehicles that are not roadworthy, as well as for driving without a license. The draft law also contains a possible restriction on the number of vehicles in a certain area, as well as cash payments to victims of relatives in the event of an accident. The draft law had been in place since March last year, but was only brought back for submission during the ongoing protests.

Web links

Commons : Schoolchildren and Student Protests in Bangladesh 2018  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Bangladesh teenagers demanding road safety paralysis Dhaka. BBC , accessed August 5, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Unrest in Bangladesh as student road safety protests turn violent. The Guardian , August 5, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Kamrul Hasan, Arifur Rahman Rabbi: 2 students killed, 7 injured in Airport Road accident. Dhaka Tribune , July 29, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  4. ^ Traffic and Road Conditions in Bangladesh. Country Reports, August 5, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  5. ↑ 115 students injured in Dhaka as police fire rubber bullets, tear gas at protestors demanding road safety. Hindustan Times , August 5, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Lalon Sander: Children make Dhaka's streets safe. The daily newspaper , August 2, 2018, accessed on August 5, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Pupils demonstrate for road safety. Deutschlandfunk , August 3, 2018, accessed on August 5, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Drbyos: Protesters paralyze parts of Bangladesh after an express bus kills two students. News World, August 4, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  9. ↑ ls, dj / rc: Bangladesh students injured as police clash with road safety protesters. Deutsche Welle , August 4, 2018, accessed on August 5, 2018 .
  10. ^ Staff Correspondent: 4 Daily Star journalists assaulted. The Daily Star (Bangladesh) , August 5, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  11. ^ Staff Correspondent: BCL in its element. The Daily Star (Bangladesh), August 5, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  12. ↑ Bangladesh clashes continue as protests intensify. Al Jazeera , August 5, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Michael Safi: Photographer charged as police crackdown in Bangladesh intensifies. The Guardian, August 6, 2018, accessed August 6, 2018 .
  14. ↑ RSF calls for Bangladeshi photographer's immediate release. Reporters Without Borders , August 13, 2018, accessed August 13, 2018 .
  15. ^ Staff Correspondent: Clashes in front of East West University. bdnews24.com, August 6, 2018, accessed August 6, 2018 .
  16. ↑ Students injured in Bangladesh as teen protests turn violent. The Daily Telegraph , August 4, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  17. ↑ Dia's father urges students to go home. The Daily Star (Bangladesh), August 3, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  18. ^ Staff Correspondent: Authorities slow mobile internet to quell student protests. bdnews24.com, August 4, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  19. ↑ Staff Correspondent: 3G, 4G internet connections suspended across Bangladesh. Dhaka Tribune, August 4, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  20. ↑ Traffic Week begins. The Daily Star (Bangladesh), August 5, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  21. ^ UNB, Dhaka: Don't pay heed to rumors, PM urges countrymen. The Daily Star (Bangladesh), August 5, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  22. ↑ PM orders transport system to be operated under 6 companies. Bangla Tribune, August 5, 2018, accessed August 5, 2018 .
  23. ↑ Serajul Quadir and Ruma Paul: Bangladesh government considers death penalty for fatal traffic accidents. The Independent, August 6, 2018, accessed August 6, 2018 .
  24. ↑ Shakhawat Liton and Tuhin Shubhra Adhikary: Causing Death by Rash Driving: Maximum 5 years' jail. The Daily Star (Bangladesh), August 7, 2018, accessed August 11, 2018 .