According to BSS, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the government to ensure accountability and denounced the execution of Inqilab Moncho chairman Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a key player in the protests last year.
At a routine press conference in New York, his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric urged the authorities to carry out “a prompt, an impartial, a thorough and transparent investigation, in line with international human rights standards” and urged moderation as Bangladesh prepares for parliamentary elections set for February 2026.
The UN secretary general also appealed for calm, urging all sides to “refrain from violence, reduce tensions and exercise maximum restraint in order to preserve a peaceful electoral environment.”
The killing also drew similar concern from UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk, who said he was “deeply troubled” by Hadi’s death after being shot last week.
“Retaliation and revenge will only deepen divisions and undermine the rights of all,” Volker Turk said in a statement issued in Geneva, echoing calls for accountability for those responsible.
Attackers shot Sharif Osman Hadi in the head on Box Culvert Road in Purana Paltan, Dhaka, on December 12, the day following the announcement of the schedule for the 13th national parliamentary election and referendum. He received treatment at Evercare Hospital after first receiving care at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Osman Hadi was transported by air ambulance to Singapore on December 15th in order to receive advanced medical care.
While receiving treatment at Singapore General Hospital, he passed suddenly on December 18.
On Friday night, Osman Hadi’s body was transported to Dhaka.
Today, Saturday, he was laid to rest next to National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam’s grave per the desires of his family.
