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As Bangladesh marks its 36th Independence Day, a new report laments the rapid shrinking of liberal space in the country due to intense political polarisation and a growing cult of violence. War-torn Sri Lanka is also slammed for its large number of disappearances and recruitment of child soldiers
A leading global rights watchdog has expressed serious concern over the continuing violation of human rights in Bangladesh, and urged that the South Asian nation's government implement the Supreme Court directive to separate the judiciary from the executive.
"Poor governance, corruption, nepotism, severe political tension in the country and lack of accountability remain the main facilitators of human rights abuses," says Amnesty International in a new report.
"Human rights defenders in Bangladesh have faced severe retaliatory measures over a decade of struggle against abuse of authority, breach of the rule of law, corruption and impunity," the rights watchdog says in its report 'Bangladesh: Human Rights Defenders Under Attack', released on March 26.
The organisation adds that, according to information available with it, human rights defenders who criticise the authorities, or parties of the ruling alliance, for human rights violations are most at risk in Bangladesh.
The defenders are journalists, writers, academics, staff of non-government organisations, lawyers, members of professional bodies, and people from various social backgrounds.
The report reveals links between politicians, the police and armed gangs; it exposes corruption in the ruling administration and among law-enforcement personnel, and abuse against minorities.
"Governments in Bangladesh have persistently failed to respond adequately to the need to protect individuals at risk, probe violations committed against them, bring to justice perpetrators of rights violations and ensure the protection of witnesses, victims and their family members, or provide reparation to victims," it says.
Analysing dangerous "pressure points" that act to suppress the defenders, the report says these include a climate of political polarisation, a culture of gun violence, tension between secularism and religious-based politics, and a shrinking liberal space.
The report highlights attacks on at least six prominent journalists since 2000. It notes with concern that investigations into all these attacks have been shoddy, and all cases are pending trial.
In July 2000, Shamsur Rahman, a BBC journalist, was killed in Jessore; the case has not yet gone to trial. In 2001, Tipu Sultan, a correspondent for the United News of Bangladesh, was allegedly beaten up by the private army of a local politician. Sultan's hands, arms and legs were crushed. The high court has stayed proceedings in the case following a petition by one of the accused, says the report.
The Bangladesh report is the first in a series of reports on South Asian countries that Amnesty International plans to release in the run-up to the SAARC summit, scheduled to be held in New Delhi on April 3-4, 2007. It will also release reports on China and the US, since both countries have observer status at the summit.
In a similar report on the rights situation in Sri Lanka, released on March 29, Amnesty International says a large number of political killings have occurred since security forces and Tamil Tiger rebels resumed fighting early last year after a four-year lull. It says many people have been killed or tortured in police custody.
Amnesty-India's Mukul Sharma blames both the government security forces and the rebels for rights abuses against civilians. "We have seen unlawful killings, recruitment of child soldiers, abductions, disappearances, and many other human rights violations. War crimes are on the increase. We have seen civilians being attacked from both sides. Homes, schools, places of worship have been destroyed."
Amnesty is calling for international involvement to monitor the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. The group also wants both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh to establish independent national commissions to investigate rights abuses.
Source: The Hindu, March 29, 2007
PTI, March 28, 2007
www.googlenews.com, March 27, 2007
www.amnesty.org, March 26, 2007
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