UN fact-finding report on July atrocities by mid-Feb: Türk

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has said the UN fact-finding report on the atrocities during the July-August uprising is at final stage and would be released by mid-February.

The UN high commissioner made the comments when he called on Bangladesh Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum annual meeting in the Swiss mountain city of Davos.

Türk said the report would also be shared with the Bangladesh side ahead of its publication from the UN rights office in Geneva.

Prof Yunus thanked the UN rights office for investigating the crimes committed during the student-led uprising.

He said reports of the six major independent reform commissions would also come out at around the same time.

These reports might serve to complement each other, he observed.

The chief adviser urged the UN human rights chief for his support in resolving the Rohingya crisis, which has worsened in recent months following the influx of tens of thousands of new refugees from Myanmar.

While assuring of his full support, Türk said he was in conversation with relevant stakeholders, including UN special envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop, in this regard.

Prof Yunus called for creating an UN-overseen safe zone inside Myanmar’s Rakhine side in an effort to stop the fresh influx of Rohingyas.

He referred to the upcoming high-level conference on the Rohingya crisis, saying it will bring global focus to one of the worst humanitarian crises.

Türk agreed that such a conference is very important to bring back the lost focus of the international community on the crisis.

Lamiya Morshed, SDG Coordinator of the Bangladesh government, and Tareq Ariful Islam, Bangladesh’s Permanent Ambassador to Geneva, also attended the meeting.