BANGLADESH – Word at UPR: Was it just a lip service?
15 June 2009 2:19 am
Although
the foreign minister of Bangladesh expressed the policy of "zero
tolerance" at the Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights
Council, civil society of the country says that situation has not
changed since then. Below is the statement of FORUM-ASIA and its member
Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), issued on 10 June 2009 at the 11th Session
of the UN Human Rights Council.
Although
the foreign minister of Bangladesh expressed the policy of "zero
tolerance" at the Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights
Council, civil society of the country says that situation has not
changed since then. Below is the statement of FORUM-ASIA and its member
Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), issued on 10 June 2009 at the 11th Session
of the UN Human Rights Council.
FORUM-ASIA and ASK, along with Human Rights Forum on UPR in Bangladesh
– a coalition of 17 human rights, women's rights, labour and indigenous
people's and development organizations, seek to take this opportunity
to highlight some of the key human rights concerns and challenges yet
to be effectively addressed by the Government of Bangladesh.
We welcome the recent
decision of the Government to establish tribunals for the trial of those
responsible under the International Crimes Act 1973. We remain dismayed,
however, despite the electoral manifesto pledges and the Foreign Minister's
announcement at the last UPR Working Group session regarding the policy
of "zero tolerance", such killings have continued to take place
without any substantive efforts to investigate or take appropriate action.
Alarmingly, in the period from January to May 2009, at least 25 people
have been killed extra-judicially by the Rapid Action Battalion, police
and army, with the Government defending such action as self defense.
In regards to the freedom of expression, the state media remains largely
controlled by the executive with the focus primarily being on the activities
of Ministers. There is a growing media monopolization of private channels
being owned by political leaders. Violence against women remains to
be of grave concern, with 73 incidents of rape or attempted rape, 44
dowry related violence, and 6 cases of fatwa related violence since
January 2009. No steps have been taken as yet by the Government to announce
a review of laws and policies to ensure effective redress for the victims
of such violence.
The
aforementioned issues are not exhaustive, and we have yet seen any significant
measures taken in relation to the powers for executive magistrates,
education for children with disabilities and indigenous children, violence
against children including corporal punishment, child labor, expropriation
of the property right of minorities, occupational safety and health
policy for workers, caste-based discrimination, legal protection for
migrant workers, rights of refugees, to name a few.
In this respect, we
urge the Government of Bangladesh to make concrete, measurable and time
bound commitments to address those human rights issues. This includes
investigations into ongoing and past human rights abuses, including
war crimes, extrajudicial killings, torture, and arbitrary detention,
and cases of violence against women, minorities, and indigenous people,
and providing adequate reparation to victims and families. The Government
should take priority action to consider the pending private member's
bill on remedies for torture. It should also call for a clear road map
regarding repeal of discriminatory laws, with particular emphasis on
those affecting religious minorities, workers and persons with disabilities
as well as juvenile justice and gender-biased personal laws. The enactment
of the Domestic Violence Act needs to be a priority with action to implement
the Sexual Harassment Guidelines as pronounced recently by the High
Court. We also strongly urge the Government to take concrete steps for
the full implementation of the peace accord in the Chittagong Hill Tracts.