Bangladesh Human Rights Situation in 2012

Editorial- Govt's Human Rights record- It needs marked improvement

Though Bangladesh was being rated positively by international financial agencies and the media for its successes in the socio-economic sector in 2012, the human rights scenario remains its Achilles heel.

A report released by the human rights organisation Ain O Shalish Kendra, ASK, shows that overall the human rights situation was rather dismal in the year that was.

Particular mention has been made of the sudden eruptions of communal tension in September that saw the destruction of Buddhist temples, monasteries and houses in Ramu, Teknaf, Ukhia in southern districts of Cox's Bazaar. In addition, there were also some attacks on another community in Sitakunda and Patiya in Chittagong as well as in the south-western districts of Bagerhat, Jenidah and the northern district of Dinajpur.

In the New Year, we do not want to see such incidents repeated in any form or scale.

On the gender front, violence against women continued with more than 1100 rapes. Incidents of gender-related violence also lay behind the murder of more than 260 women as well as one and a half dozen suicides.

Social sources of violence apart, citizens were often subjected to violence at the hands of the law-enforcement agencies.

Though there was a decline in the number of custodial deaths and extra-judicial murders, disappearances emerged as a major concern for law and order as well as citizens' security.

Contrary to expectations in a democracy, suppression of political dissent resulting in mass arrests, police violence against street demonstrations, denial of space to political opponents to a large extent eclipsed the government's image. Taking recourse to the Section 144 to stop the opposition from holding its political programmes leaves a lot to be desired about dealing appropriately with the opposition.

Leaving behind the failures of the past year, as we would like to look forward to the next with fresh hope, people expect that the government would improve its records on human rights in a marked way.

Thereby the government will be able to present a cleaner image before the electorate at this fag end of its current tenure.

Source: The Daily Star, Dhaka, 02 Januray 2013; link: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=263431

Bangladesh Human Rights in 2012

Human rights situation alarming, says ASK
Staff Correspondent

Dhaka based rights watchdog Ain O Salish Kendra at a press briefing on Monday said that the overall human rights situation in 2012 was ‘alarming’ while the law and order situation in the country was ‘frustrating.’
‘...the overall human rights situation in the year was not satisfactory,’ the ASK executive director, Sultana Kamal, told the briefing on ‘Human Rights Situation 2012 : ASK’s Evaluation’ held at Dhaka Reporters’ Unity in the capital.
The ASK expressed concerned over continued extrajudicial killing, enforced disappearance, torture and death in police custody, rights violations of minority communities and border violence and killing by the Indian Border Security Force.
The organisation urged the government to strengthen the National Human Rights Commission in order to improve the rights situation.
Sultana Kamal and ASK’s director (investigation) Nur Khan described the overall human rights situations based on the reports complied through their investigations and on the information they received through different national media.
The ASK praised the government for implementing different laws and rules.
But the report said that the number of extrajudicial killing increased to 91 in 2012 from 84 in 2011.
ASK report said the number of enforced disappearance rose to 34 in 2012 from 30 in 2011.
Sultana Kamal said that the victims’ families raised allegation against law enforcers. particularly the Rapid Action Battalion.
She also expressed concern over torture and killing of journalists and said that 442 journalists were victimised.
Of those incidents, five including Sagar Sarwar and Mehrun Runi were killed while 74 were harassed or tortured by the law enforcers while 87 by goons and 72 by the political activists.
In 2012, 84 people were killed and 10,525 were injured in 595 political clashes while the number of such incidents was 375 in 2011.
ASK said that 165 political demonstrations were stopped by ordering Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure in 2012.
The ASK critisied the BSF for killing 48 people and injuring 106 people while they abducted 140 despite repeated assurance from the Indian government to stop such incidents.
The report said that 126 people were lynched by mobs.
The report also mentioned the incidents of the shooting of Limon Hossain by the RAB and continued harassment of his family members.
Violence against women topped the tally of rights violation in 2012 with 1,008 incidents of rape, 538 incidents of dowry-related violence, 68 incidents of acid violence and 428 incidents of stalking.
Violence continued in the Chittagong Hill Tracts over land dispute and other problems, the reports said.

Source: The New Age, Dhaka, 01 January 2013; link: http://newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2013-01-01&nid=35305

Abductions, Killings- State not duly worried

Abductions, Killings- State not duly worried

NHRC chief tells Prothom Alo roundtable

Staff Correspondent

Despite repeated incidents of killing after abduction and other sorts of unnatural deaths due to criminal activities, the state does not seem to be as worried as it should be, said Dr. Mizanur Rahman yesterday.
Any kind of unnatural death should be a reason for the state's headache.

But seeing the number of such incidents in Bangladesh, it is not visible to us that the state has a headache or is worried,  said the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) chairman.

The rights body chief was speaking as chief guest at a roundtable titled  Child abduction, killing-demanding ransom: Where is the end  organised by the Bangla daily Prothom Alo at its office in the capital.

Referring to the contradictory statements of Rapid Action Battalion and police over whether ransom was paid to secure the release of abducted six-year-old schoolboy Parag Mondol, he said such contradictions create anxiety among people.

The economical and political states of the country as well as a lack in the rule of law are the main reasons for the increase in criminal activities in Bangladesh. Incidents of crime also rise when state machineries are used for political interest, he said.

Addressing the discussion, Ain O Salish Kendra Chairperson Hamida Hossain alleged that negligence in duty by police after different incidents of abduction were observed in the last few years.

Salma Khan, former chairperson of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), said people were losing trust on the rule of law and law enforcement agencies day by day.

Echoing Salma, former cabinet secretary Ali Imam Majumder said if law enforcers failed to regain public trust, it would bring dangerous consequences in the future.

The culture of impunity is increasing crime in the society and the country's laws must be enforced strictly to reduce incidents of crime, he said.

Quazi Zia Uddin, assistant inspector general (crime-4) of Bangladesh Police, emphasised concerted efforts from people of all the sections of society to put an end to crime.

Prothom Alo Associate Editor Abdul Quayum suggested setting up a special cell under the home ministry to monitor different abduction related cases.

In the roundtable, family members of Sheikh Farid, a seven-year-old child who was killed after being abducted from Munshiganj last March, demand punishment to the killers.

Prothom Alo Feature Editor Shumana Sharmin moderated the roundtable where Dhaka University's Criminology and Criminal Justice Programme Director AI Mahbubuddin Ahmed also spoke.

Source: The Daily Star, Dhaka; 18 November 2012; link: http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=257932