Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has for the first time acknowledged that security forces made mistakes during the student-led uprising that brought down her government last year, as a new United Nations report estimates 1,400 people were killed in the crackdown.
“Mistakes were certainly made in the way some members of the security forces responded to the violence,” Hasina said in a written interview with The Hindu. “But the decisions made by senior government officials were proportionate in nature, made in good faith and intended to minimise the loss of life.”
The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said security forces used live ammunition and carried out “summary executions by deliberately shooting unarmed protesters at point-blank range.” The protests, which began over public-sector job quotas, quickly spread into nationwide unrest calling for Hasina’s resignation.
The U.N. report said military, police and intelligence agencies conducted a coordinated campaign of rights violations that “could amount to crimes against humanity.”
Hasina, who fled Dhaka on Aug. 5, 2024, also questioned the credibility of the planned February 2026 election, saying it would not be legitimate if her Awami League remained banned.
Analysts say her admission of excessive force, even while defending senior officials’ intent, may open the way for renewed calls for accountability. The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has promised reforms, but rights groups say impunity still endures.