Amnesty International condemns police assault on Abu Sayed as reckless and unprovoked

Amnesty International denounced the police‍‍`s assault on Abu Sayed as reckless and unprovoked in a statement issued today.

According to Amnesty International, Abu Sayed, a 25-year-old student, was fatally shot in Rangpur, a city in north-western Bangladesh. 

Two verified videos show at least two police officers firing 12-gauge shotguns directly at Sayed from across the street. Sayed was struck in the chest and subsequently succumbed to his injuries upon arrival at the hospital.

Using satellite imagery to analyze the incident, Amnesty International determined that Sayed and the police officers were approximately 15 meters apart during the shooting. Sayed did not pose any visible physical threat to the officers.

Derrick Pounder, an independent forensic pathologist consulted by Amnesty International, concluded that the injuries sustained by Sayed were consistent with birdshot.

Taqbir Huda, regional researcher for South Asia at Amnesty International, condemned the incident, stating, "This was a reckless, unprovoked attack on an individual who posed no threat to police officers, using ammunition designed for hunting, which is extremely dangerous and unlawful for use in policing protests."

Amnesty International further condemned the broader attacks on quota reform protesters across Bangladesh, including at Dhaka University, where peaceful demonstrators were reportedly assaulted by members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) armed with various weapons.

The organization called on Bangladeshi authorities to respect the rights of peaceful assembly, provide medical care to those injured, and conduct an impartial investigation into the attacks on protesters and the actions of law enforcement officers.