At least 105 dead in violent protests against quota system in Bangladesh, thousands injured

105 personnes ont perdu la vie au Bangladesh ces derniers jours. EPA – MONIRUL ALAM

the essential The death toll from student protests in Bangladesh reached 105 deaths this Friday, July 19.

Dozens of people have been killed since Tuesday July 16 in Bangladesh during violent demonstrations against the quota system in the civil service. The toll has reached 105 died this Friday, July 19, according to a count carried out by the AFP based on data provided by hospitals. Thousands of people were injured during these clashes.

Police try to break up clashes between students demanding the removal of quotas and counter-protesters supporting the ruling Awami League party, who clash in the street, throwing bricks and hitting each other with bamboo stems.

This system aims to reserve more than half of well-paid and highly sought-after civil servant positions for certain categories of the population, which students consider discriminatory. Thus, 30% of civil servant positions would be reserved for the children of those who fought for Bangladesh's independence in 1971, 10% for women, 10% for specific districts .

All establishments closed until further notice

For its detractors, only quotas in favour of ethnic minorities and disabled people (i.e. 6% of posts) should be maintained. They believe the quota system is designed to favour the children of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's supporters. Amnesty International has condemned the violence and urged Bangladesh to immediately guarantee the safety of all peaceful protesters. 60/em62/60/p62/ 60/p62/ 60/p62/ Bangladesh police banned all gatherings in the capital Dhaka on Friday 19 July and arrested one of the main opposition leaders, police spokesman Faruk Hossain told AFP. 60/p62/ 60/p62/ 60/p62/ Faced with the outbreak of violence, the spokesman for the Bangladesh Ministry of Education Minister A. Khair announced “the closure until further notice of all high schools, colleges, Islamic seminaries and polytechnics to take into account the safety of students”. The order was extended to universities, where most of the students participating in the protests are enrolled.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the government “to protect the protesters from any form of threat or violence”. “Being able to demonstrate peacefully is a fundamental human right”, he recalled.