Volker Türk, director of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, whose remarks on the detentions in Delhi on Saturday sparked sharp criticism from India, had earlier similarly thrown his weight around in Bangladesh, where he threatened to ban the army from UN peacekeeping missions if they intervened during the 2024 student-led protests.
He also asserted that the political transition following the ouster of then premier Sheikh Hasina be peaceful, transparent, inclusive and grounded in human rights, and called for the release of what he called arbitrarily detained individuals.
In an interview with Dhaka Tribune in March 2025, Türk said: “I’ll give you the example of Bangladesh last year. In July-August 2024, the OHCHR director condemned the violent Bangladesh government crackdown on student-led protests against the then Sheikh Hasina-led regime that resulted in over 170 deaths and thousands of injuries.
Türk earlier served as the Under-Secretary-General for Policy in the Executive Office of the United Nations Secretary-General, where he coordinated global policy work, according to information available on the OHCHR website. During July, August, you know, there were massive demonstrations of students. They had enough of the previous government under Sheikh Hasina. Türk continued: “When Muhammad Yunus took over as the new chief adviser of the interim administration, he asked me immediately, can you send us a fact-finding mission to put the spotlight on the situation and to investigate what was happening, which is what we did. And it actually helped. Months later in October, he visited Bangladesh and met with Yunus, the Chief Justice, the army chief, student movement leaders, and civil society representatives to discuss human rights priorities. With a doctorate in international law from the University of Vienna and a Master of Laws degree from the University of Linz, Austria, he has published widely on international refugee law and international human rights law.
