President’s Message: Crackdown on Student-Led Protests on Campuses in Bangladesh

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Crackdown on Student-Led Protests on Campuses in Bangladesh 

Dear MUNFA Members,

Today, I am writing you to draw your attention to and speak out against the brutal government crackdown that is currently occurring on campuses in Bangladesh.

A few weeks ago, peaceful protests began on campuses calling for an end to a quota system for public sector jobs for relatives of veterans of the 1971 war of independence. Protestors call the system discriminatory.

In recent days, the government has called in police and the military to break up and quell the protests. The crackdown on campuses has led to widespread violence which has escalated rapidly. While exact numbers are unknown at this stage, reports say that dozens of protestors have been killed and scores more injured. Universities have been shuttered, a curfew imposed, and the internet shut down.  

University campuses must be places where peaceful protest, debate, discussion, and dissent are protected – peaceful assembly is a fundamental human right. We have a responsibility to stand up for our colleagues in other parts of the world and speak out in the strongest terms against the Bangladeshi government’s brutal use of force on campuses in that country.

To MUNFA members who call Bangladesh their home – heartfelt solidarity to you and your families in this difficult time. 

In solidarity,

Josh Lepawsky

MUNFA President