Bangladeshi police killed or injured at least 20 unarmed protesters in two previously undocumented incidents during demonstrations that swept the country last year, according to newly reviewed video footage.

The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP), a human rights organization documenting alleged abuses, analyzed video footage from two incidents in Dhaka on August 5, the day Sheikh Hasina resigned as prime minister and fled the country. , and found evidence that police officers deliberately targeted peaceful civilians.

The findings add to evidence of police brutality in the final days of Hasina's regime, which saw more than 1,000 civilians die as police attempted to violently suppress protests that ultimately cost her the premiership.

Filmmaker Callum Macrae, who analyzed the videos, called them "extraordinary, creepy" and "bizarre". He added: "It is clear from the footage that the officers were not under any threat and do not believe they were under any threat. They had absolutely no legal justification to use lethal force against any protester.

"This film clearly shows how important it is for independent judicial truth and justice processes to win the trust of the people of Bangladesh," he said.

"The use of live ammunition by the police is absolutely shocking given that the protesters were unarmed and there were many civilians in addition to students," said Yasmin Sooka, executive director of ITJP and a former member of South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Ammunition against students and protesters. It's very scary when you see the brutality of violence. "

Sukar said Hasina's niece Tulip Siddiq resigned from the UK government following the findings of a review by UK ministerial standards adviser Laurie Magnus on Tuesday afternoon. Welcome, despite a review finding she had not breached ministerial standards. Siddiq, who served as municipal government and anti-corruption minister, resigned following a Magnus investigation into her use of property given to herself and her family by allies of Sheikh Hasina's regime.

"I have never heard her make any statements distancing herself from her aunt, or express any remorse or sadness for the atrocities her aunt's regime has committed against protesters and civilians in Bangladesh," she said.

During Hasina's 15 years in power, her authoritarian regime has been widely accused of corruption, tyranny and widespread human rights abuses. When protests began across the country last July, Hasina unleashed a wave of police brutality against peaceful protesters, who were shot with batons, rubber bullets and live rounds, killing more than a thousand and blinding hundreds more. An Amnesty International investigation in July confirmed that police had unlawfully used lethal force against protesters.

In response, the protests escalated into full-blown revolution. On August 5, Hasina boarded a helicopter and fled the country as hundreds of thousands began marching toward her residence and the army refused to fire on civilians.

As part of the ITJP investigation, Macrae and his team analyzed footage from two incidents on August 5 in which Bangladeshi police are accused of shooting and killing unarmed civilian protesters.

The first incident occurred at around 2 pm outside the Jatrabari police station in the south of the Bangladesh capital. Smartphone video showed dozens of students gathering outside a police station and being shot by police.

Several police officers fired into the crowd with 12-gauge pump-action shotguns, according to weapons experts who have seen the video. One person said subsequent images of injuries were consistent with the use of lethal cartridges loaded with lead bullets.

Armed forces then showed up and took the police back to the station. But another video taken minutes later showed an officer apparently throwing a grenade into the crowd, before police rushed in and opened fire.

As the demonstrators fled, police chased them and opened fire. A wounded man fell to the ground and was hit multiple times with gun butts and wooden sticks. Another man was shot several times at close range while trying to hide behind a concrete pillar.

The filmmakers counted at least 19 people dead or injured in the footage they were able to analyze.

A second video showed a 20-year-old man named Mohammed Riddoy, who was apparently arrested at the protest, being surrounded by police. As police surrounded Ridoy, an officer approached him from behind and shot him in the back at close range.

Rideau fell to the ground, the police left, and the trio returned, picked up his body (possibly still alive) and dragged it through the nearby hospital toward the police station.

Reddy has not been seen since. His family said they had pleaded for the return of his body, but police denied any knowledge of his whereabouts. His sister Jasmine Akhter said: "I want him to be seen as a martyr. We are a very poor family and I want the government to take care of my parents."

Bangladesh Police Inspector General Baharul Alam told the Guardian: "We have been conducting a thorough investigation into the role of the police in the killing of protesters during the riots in July and August. At least 30 police officers Arrested. We are working with others who have evidence, including the international justice organization that produced the short film."

When it comes to Ridoy's video in particular, Alam said his office has confirmed the authenticity of the video but is still looking for Ridoy's body. He added that two police officers were arrested for killing him.

The videos are released alongside a new report from ITJP and the Global Technology Institute, which focuses on another day of protests - July 19.

The groups found that at least 148 people died in just one day, three times more than initially reported, 40 of whom were 18 years old or younger. The report's authors said the findings add to evidence that the death toll from violence may be much higher than previously thought.

Since Hasina's fall, she, along with her senior ministers and police officials, have been named in a growing number of cases across Bangladesh on charges ranging from crimes against humanity, mass murder and corruption. India recently issued an arrest warrant and extradition request for Hasina, who lives in exile overseas, and she denies the charges.