The country’s political situation appears to be stable after the 5 January election. There are no strikes, blockades or political violence as there was last year. Even so, human rights activists feel that the state of human rights in the country is more alarming than anytime in the past.
It is felt that the present circumstances have emerged due to the increased incidence of forced disappearances and abductions, the government’s propensity to deny such occurrences, no proper inquiries into serious allegations against state forces, shrinking of space for the public to express their view and for public meetings to be held, etc.
Today, 10 December, is World Human Rights Day. Records of Ain O Salish Kendra, the local human rights organisation, show an alarming picture of forced disappearances and abductions. The statistics show that over the last eight years, the most disappearances and abductions have taken place during the first nine months of this year. During this period, 82 persons have disappeared or have been abducted. In most cases, according to the relations, persons claiming took these persons away to be members of the law and order forces. Later, 23 of these persons turned up as dead bodies. Ten were released. Seven have been arrested, the law enforcers tell the media. Three were later found in police stations and jail. The remaining 39 are missing.
Local and foreign human rights organisations, the families of the victims and the opposition political parties blame the state forces for these incidents, but the government denies any involvement. The state minister for home and the heads of the law enforcement agencies say the same thing. They say, many of the missing persons face cases and have run away to escape arrest.
Despite government denial, it was revealed that 16 persons, including three senior RAB officers, were found to be involved in the Narayanganj seven-murder case.
Supreme court lawyer Shahdeen Malik said that because of the weakness in the country’s rule of law, the human rights situation in the country is alarming. The law enforcers and other government institutions do not pay any heed to the law. There is hardly any accountability. This has caused human rights to become a matter of grave concern.
According to Ain O Salish Kendra records, even the ruling party people are not spared from these disappearances, abductions and killings. This year, of the 82 victims, 11 are involved in Awami League politics. The remaining are, 18 from BNP, three from Jamaat-e-Islami, 11 are businessmen, eight are office-goers, three are students; two are teachers, one a lawyer, two farmers, one auto-rickshaw driver , one toll collector and two members of the municipal council and union parishad member.The identity of the remaining 19 have not bee ascertained.
Previously, from 2007 to 2009, 21 persons had been abducted or had disappeared. In 2010 this number went up to 44, of whom six were released and one had been handed over to the police. Later, the dead bodies of six of them were recovered, while 31 were not found.
In 2011, a total of 59 disappeared or were abducted. Of them, the bodies of 16 were recovered, while 39 remain missing. Later four were released. In 2012 this number was 56, of whom eight were released and four turned up as dead bodies. Ten were found in police custody and in jail. And 34 remain missing. In 2013 the number of abducted persons was 76 of whom 23 turned up dead. The others are still missing.
Over the past one-decade, more than 2000 persons have died in “crossfire”, “gunfights” and “encounters” or in custody. In the first 10 months of this year, 136 people died in this manner. Ain O Salish Kendra terms these deaths as extra-judicial killings.
The latest extra-judicial killing allegations have been brought against the police at the village Jirbunia of Paikgachha, Khulna. A total of 13 persons died in one go during a so-called gunfight with police there. The police claim that all 13 were robbers of the Sundarbans. But the families of the killed persons say that the police, with the help of local people, beat these persons and shot them dead. Like the other extra-judicial killings, the government made no comment on this incident. It took no initiative for an independent inquiry.
State minister for home Asaduzzaman Khan Kaman has denied that the human rights situation has deteriorated. Yesterday he told Prothom Alo, “it is absolutely incorrect that the human rights situation in the country has worsened. Human rights activists just recite their fixed lines. Most of these allegations are false and so the government has nothing to do. Action is taken if the allegations are true.”
Mohammed Noor Khan, director of Ain O Salish Kendra, said that the government’s tendency to deny matters has made the human rights situation worse. He said that even after the families of the abducted or disappeared persons, the human rights organisations and the media present specific data and evident, no effective measures are taken. People are being picked up from the road, from their houses and a sense of fear prevailed all over.
Noor Hossain demanded that an independent commission be formed to make inquiries into the various human rights violations, including abductions and forced disappearances, carried out by the law enforcement agencies. When asked about this demand, the state minister for home affairs said, “What’s the use? Our home ministry is extremely active.”
Human rights activists have also pointed to the shrinking space for expressing views and holding public meetings and rallies. Excessive pressure was being placed on the opposition. SM Nasir Uddin, director of the human rights organisation Odhikar, said along with the forced disappearances and abductions, now the Special Powers Act of 1974 is being applied. Cases of sedition are being filed and the IT and communications technology act is being misused.
On 1 December the cabinet approved the foreign grants (voluntary activities) regulation act. It is feared that this is a move to control NGOs, including human rights organisations. Media persons are equally apprehensive about the national broadcasting policy.
Shahdeen Malik says, “When there is a fall in popularity and public support, the government becomes more dependent on the law and order forces. When this dependence increases, the government loses control on the law enforcement agencies even when they violate the law. That is why the state of human rights is in this condition.” – prothomalo
