The United Nations has condemned the use of bullets and the killing and torture of professional journalist Sayed Khan, Dhaka correspondent of the Mirror Asia, on remand by authorities and security forces to suppress student protests.

“We have seen bullets fired by the Bangladesh authorities to suppress the protests; we condemn that. Every government, whether it is Bangladesh or any country in the world, should allow the peaceful assembly of people and the freedom of journalists,” Stephen Dozeric, spokesman for Secretary-General António Guterres, said at a regular briefing at the UN headquarters in New York, United States, on Wednesday.

Sayed Khan, Dhaka correspondent of The Mirror Asia, a German newspaper, was put on five-day remand on Friday. He was picked up by a team of Detective Branch from his house in the capital’s Moghbazar on Thursday night.

Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has condemned the remand of Sayed who was investigating facts regarding the recent crackdown by the authorities in Dhaka.

Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) has urged the authorities for the immediate release of Sayed who was kept under remand in the false allegation.

 “When Metrorail was burnt, Sayed Khan was performing professional duties at the Dhaka Reporters Unity,” DRU said in a statement on Wednesday.

During the briefing on, UN spokesperson urged Bangladesh authorities to ensure equal space for journalists to work independently.

Regarding the investigation into the crackdown in Bangladesh, Stephen said the UN will try to do this in the best possible way at the request of any country, such as Bangladesh.

The officials said the UN needs approval from its legislative body to investigate any matter. Stephen read out a written statement on Bangladesh earlier in the briefing.

“On Bangladesh, I can tell you that despite the political situation and the violence we have seen, it is important to remind everyone that humanitarian crises are ongoing in Bangladesh and that we and our partners continue to provide support to the people affected by a number of emergencies, including Cyclone Remal,” he said.

Climate emergencies have impacted 13 million people across Bangladesh this year, according to a UN assessment.

A UN spokesperson mentioned that the local partners continue their work despite operational challenges, which include internet outages, bank closures, and curfews.

“Last month, we and UN partners launched the $80 million Humanitarian Response Plan to support 1.2 million people,” he said.

The appeal is currently only 18 percent funded, while $7.5 million from the central emergency response fund was made available on June 5 to support the response to the cyclone. An additional $6.2 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund was released on 4 July, to allow for cash payments to communities in the Jamuna Basin.

“And of course, there is also a massive humanitarian operation on Cox’s Bazaar for refugees from Myanmar and to support the host communities,” added Stephen.