Archive · 7 Dec 2025
Bangladesh Exhumes Mass Grave from 2024 Unrest
Bangladesh is digging up a big grave in Dhaka to find out who is buried there.
This grave is believed to have around 114 people who died during big protests last year.
The protests were against the former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who is now convicted of crimes against humanity.
A team of experts, including a famous forensic scientist from Argentina, is helping with this job.
They will check the bodies and use DNA to find out who they are.
The families of the missing people are hoping to find their loved ones.
The bodies will be buried again properly once they are identified.
Bangladeshi police began exhuming a mass grave in Dhaka believed to contain 114 unidentified victims of 2024 unrest.
The exhumation is supported by the UN and advised by Argentine forensic anthropologist Luis Fondebrider.
The bodies were buried by a volunteer group in July and August 2024 during deadly protests that toppled former PM Sheikh Hasina.
The UN estimates up to 1,400 people were killed in crackdowns during the protests.
Exhumed bodies will undergo post-mortem examinations and DNA testing, a process expected to take several weeks.
- Who
- Bangladeshi authorities, UN-supported team, and families of victims
- What
- Exhumation of a mass grave containing victims of 2024 unrest
- When
- Began on Sunday (specific date not mentioned)
- Where
- Rayerbazar Graveyard in Dhaka, Bangladesh
- Why
- To identify and return the remains of victims to their families
- Location
- Rayerbazar Graveyard, Dhaka
- Estimated Victims
- 114
- Total Deaths (UN Estimate)
- Up to 1,400
- Forensic Expert
- Luis Fondebrider
- Burial Period
- July and August 2024
- Convicted Former PM
- Sheikh Hasina
- Exhumation Duration
- Several weeks