Edited infographic with UN logo found to be false
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) published a fact-finding report on human rights violations during the July-August protests in Bangladesh. The report was released on February 12, stating that around 1,400 people were killed during that time. Following this, several Facebook posts circulated an infographic featuring the UN logo, claiming most of the 1,400 casualties were supporters of the Awami League and law enforcement officers. The infographic asserted that 750 deaths occurred between August 7 and 15. However, verification shows that the OHCHR report contains no such data. Instead, it states that these 1,400 deaths took place between July 15 and August 5. The Awami League informed OHCHR that 144 of its members and affiliates were killed between July 1 and August 15. However, the UN agency stated that it could not independently verify this information.
On February 13, a Facebook page named “Gen-Z Awami” shared an infographic, and similar posts (1, 2, 3) were found on Facebook and X (1, 2, 3). The infographic, titled “Death Toll of July in Bangladesh,” displayed the UN logo, establishing that it was based on the official UN fact-finding report. It includes a table categorizing the number of deaths by “TIME SPAN”, “APPROXIMATE DEATH TOLL”, and “APPARENT VICTIMS”.
The infographic claimed that between July 1 and August 4, 400 people died, categorizing victims as “Rioters,” “AL (Awami League) supporters,” and “Law Enforcement Personnels.” For August 5-6, it reported 250 deaths under the same classifications. However, for August 7-15, it stated that 750 people died, listing only “AL Supporters” and “Law Enforcement Personnels” as victims. The total death toll in the three periods stands at 1,400, suggesting that most casualties occurred between August 7 and 15, primarily affecting Awami League supporters and law enforcement personnel.
The caption of the infographic reads, “Summary of Death Toll in Bangladesh July Riot!” It further questioned, “If the Awami League is responsible for those who died before August 5, But, who is responsible for those who died after August 5 ? The answer to this simple question should be given to the Human Rights Commission.”
To verify the claim, Dismislab reviewed the original fact-finding report published on the OHCHR website. The report was presented by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk at a press conference in Geneva on February 12. Titled “OHCHR Fact-Finding Report: Human Rights Violations and Abuses related to the Protests of July and August 2024 in Bangladesh.” The 58th paragraph of this report quotes “OHCHR assesses that there could have been as many as 1,400 protest-related deaths, including at least 13 women, for the period of 15 July to 5 August.”
However, Dismislab’s verification did not find evidence supporting any claims of this infographic, apart from the number “1400.” Firstly, the OHCHR report does not contain this viral infographic claiming the “Death Toll of July Riot in Bangladesh.” Secondly, according to the 58th paragraph of the report, the number of “protest-related” deaths between “July 15 and August 5” is 1,400. While this number remains the same, the infograph incorrectly extends this period to August 15. Thirdly, the OHCHR report does not categorize victims as “rioters,” “AL supporters,” or “law enforcement personnels.” Instead, based on forensic data from 130 deaths provided by the Forensic Medicine Department of Dhaka Medical College, it stated that more than three-quarters (78 percent) of total deaths were caused by firearms typically wielded by state security forces, and about two-thirds (66 percent) of the total deaths were caused by bullets fired from high-powered military automatic and semi-automatic rifles that were used by the Bangladesh Armed Forces— BGB, RAB, Army, Ansar/VDP Battalion, Armed Police Battalion, and Police.
The OHCHR findings confirm that from July 15 to August 5, the previous government, along with its security and intelligence apparatus, and armed Awami League supporters were collectively responsible for severe human rights violations.
Additionally, the OHCHR report documents present findings on revenge abuse following the ouster of former Prime Minister and Awami League Chairperson Sheikh Hasina on August 5. Findings related to these incidents are detailed in paragraphs 211 to 242. Notably, paragraphs 222 and 223 state that “OHCHR cannot provide its own estimate on the extent of revenge violence, in particular killings of police officers and Awami League members” between July 1 and August 15.
In the fact-finding report, the Awami League stated that 144 of its members and affiliates were killed during this period. Bangladesh Police data states that between July 1 and August 15, 44 police officers, three BGB personnel, three Ansar-VDP members, and two RAB officers were killed. However, OHCHR could not independently verify this information, the report noted.
