No 'crossfire' halt despite promise: AI
Syed Nahas Pasha
Dhaka, May 27 (bdnews24.com) – Amnesty International has come down hard on the incumbent government for not stopping extrajudicial killings as it pledged. In its annual report, the UK-based human rights watchdog also criticised human rights violations in the trials of BDR members and violence against women.
The organisation launched Amnesty International Report 2010: State of the World's Human Rights, on Thursday and the 430-page report has dealt with major abuses that happened in 2009 in 159 countries.
In its assessment on Bangladesh, it was stated that prime minister Sheikh Hasina after assuming power had pledged that the government would end extrajudicial executions. Police and RAB were implicated in the alleged extra-judicial executions of up to 70 criminal suspects in the first nine months of 2009. Police authorities usually characterised suspected extrajudicial executions as deaths from "crossfire" or after a "shoot-out".
Referring to a "crossfire" event, the report said family members of Mohsin Sheikh and Mohammad Ali Jinnah, two pro-government student leaders, alleged that RAB shot the two men dead. "The RAB claimed that the men disregarded a warning to stop at a checkpoint. It said that in the "gunfight" that followed, the men were shot dead. An autopsy of the bodies showed that none of the bullets fired by RAB officers had gone astray, which suggested that this was a planned killing and not a "gunfight"." Police launched criminal investigations against 10 RAB personnel, but no one was brought to justice yet.
The report alleged that BDR personnel are suffering human rights violations, including torture and unfair trials for their alleged involvement in the 2009 mutiny that saw deaths of over 70 people, including 57 army officers deputed to the paramilitary force. Thousands of BDR personnel were subsequently confined to barracks and denied all outside contact.
It said over 3,000 BDR members were detained after the mutiny. Among them, at least 48 BDR personnel died in custody. There were allegations that torture may have been the cause or a contributing factor in some of these deaths. It was not clear what resources, particularly in terms of additional training for judges, were available to courts to provide fair trials to such an unprecedented number of defendants, the AI said.
Amnesty International Bangladesh researcher Abbas Faiz told bdnews24.com that they are keeping an eye on the trial process of the people accused of human rights abuses during the 1971 independence war. Amnesty said it is still doubtful about the process. "We welcome the government initiative. But we oppose any trials in unfair manner," Faiz told bdnews24.com
He said they are disappointed that Bangladesh have not set up any investigating agency. Abbas said any trial have to be fair, transparent and impartial. "We are looking at it very carefully. We are urging the authorities to ensure that these trial conforms to international fair trial standard."
The report alleged that police continued to use unnecessary and excessive force against protesters. It referred to the police attack on a peaceful demonstration organised by the National Committee on Protection of Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports that left at least 20 people, including chief prof Anu Mohammad, injured.
Amnesty said Bangladeshi newspapers reported that at least 21 cases where a husband had killed his wife because her family could not afford to give him dowry money. Police sources said they had received at least 3,413 complaints of beating and other abuse of women over dowry disputes between January and October.
In many of the known cases, prosecution led to conviction, but the authorities failed to develop, fund and implement an action programme to actively prevent violence against women. Women's rights groups said many cases of violence against women, such as the alleged rape of sex workers in police custody, were not reported for fear of reprisal and lack of protection.
The report said some 64 people were sentenced to death over the last three years. It also criticised the death penalty given to three killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The report stated that power politics across the world is jeopardizing the establishment of fair justice.
In its annual assessment of human rights worldwide, Amnesty said a global justice gap is being made worse by power politics despite a landmark year for international justice. Powerful governments are blocking advances in international justice by standing above the law on human rights, shielding allies from criticism and acting only when politically convenient, the Berlin-based agency said.
"Repression and injustice are flourishing in the global justice gap, condemning millions of people to abuse, oppression and poverty," said Claudio Cordone, interim secretary general of Amnesty International. "Governments must ensure that no one is above the law, and that everyone has access to justice for all human rights violations. Until governments stop subordinating justice to political self-interest, freedom from fear and freedom from want will remain elusive for most of humanity."
Amnesty International called on all governments to ensure accountability for their own actions, fully sign up to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and ensure that crimes under international law can be prosecuted anywhere in the world. It said that states claiming global leadership, including the G20, have a particular responsibility to set an example.
The UN Human Rights Council's paralysis over Sri Lanka, despite serious abuses including possible war crimes carried out by both government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also stood as a testament to the international community's failure to act when needed.
Meanwhile, the recommendations of the Human Rights Council's Goldstone report calling for accountability for the conflict in Gaza still need to be heeded by Israel and Hamas. Worldwide, the justice gap sustained a pernicious web of repression. Amnesty International's research records torture or other ill-treatment in at least 111 countries, unfair trials in at least 55 countries, restrictions on free speech in at least 96 countries and prisoners of conscience imprisoned in at least 48 countries.
Human rights organisations and human rights defenders came under attack in many countries, with governments preventing their work or failing to protect them. In the Middle East and North Africa, there were patterns of governmental intolerance of criticism in Saudi Arabia, Syria and Tunisia, and mounting repression in Iran.
In Asia, the Chinese government increased pressure on challenges to its authority, detaining and harassing human rights defenders, while thousands fled severe repression and economic hardship in North Korea and Myanmar. Space for independent voices and civil society shrank in parts of Europe and Central Asia, and there were unfair restrictions on freedom of expression in Russia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Uzbekistan.
The Americas were plagued by hundreds of unlawful killings by security forces, including in Brazil, Jamaica, Colombia and Mexico, while impunity for US violations related to counter-terrorism persisted. Governments in Africa such as Guinea and Madagascar met dissent with excessive use of force and unlawful killings, while Ethiopia and Uganda among others repressed criticism.
Callous disregard for civilians marked conflicts. Armed groups and government forces breached international law in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka and Yemen. In the conflict in Gaza and southern Israel, Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups unlawfully killed and injured civilians.
Thousands of civilians suffered abuses in escalating violence by the Taleban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, or bore the brunt of the conflicts in Iraq and Somalia. Women and girls suffered rape and other violence carried out by government forces and armed groups in most conflicts.
Globally, with millions of people pushed into poverty by the food, energy and financial crises, events showed the urgent need to tackle the abuses that affect poverty. "Governments should be held accountable for the human rights abuses that drive and deepen poverty. The UN review meeting on the Millennium Development Goals in New York, USA, this September is an opportunity for world leaders to move from promises to legally enforceable commitments," said Claudio Cordone.
Women, especially the poor, bore the brunt of the failure to deliver on these goals. Pregnancy-related complications claimed the lives of an estimated 350,000 women, with maternal mortality often directly caused by gender discrimination, violations of sexual and reproductive rights, and denial of access to health care.
"Governments must promote women's equality and address discrimination against women if they are going to make progress on the Millennium Development Goals, " said Claudio Cordone, interim Secretary General of Amnesty International.
Amnesty International also called on G20 states that have failed to fully sign up to the International Criminal Court – USA, China, Russia, Turkey, India, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia – to do so. The international review meeting on the court, beginning in Kampala, Uganda on 31 May, is a chance for governments to show their commitment to the court.
Dhaka, May 27 (bdnews24.com) – Amnesty International has come down hard on the incumbent government for not stopping extrajudicial killings as it pledged. In its annual report, the UK-based human rights watchdog also criticised human rights violations in the trials of BDR members and violence against women.
The organisation launched Amnesty International Report 2010: State of the World's Human Rights, on Thursday and the 430-page report has dealt with major abuses that happened in 2009 in 159 countries.
In its assessment on Bangladesh, it was stated that prime minister Sheikh Hasina after assuming power had pledged that the government would end extrajudicial executions. Police and RAB were implicated in the alleged extra-judicial executions of up to 70 criminal suspects in the first nine months of 2009. Police authorities usually characterised suspected extrajudicial executions as deaths from "crossfire" or after a "shoot-out".
Referring to a "crossfire" event, the report said family members of Mohsin Sheikh and Mohammad Ali Jinnah, two pro-government student leaders, alleged that RAB shot the two men dead. "The RAB claimed that the men disregarded a warning to stop at a checkpoint. It said that in the "gunfight" that followed, the men were shot dead. An autopsy of the bodies showed that none of the bullets fired by RAB officers had gone astray, which suggested that this was a planned killing and not a "gunfight"." Police launched criminal investigations against 10 RAB personnel, but no one was brought to justice yet.
The report alleged that BDR personnel are suffering human rights violations, including torture and unfair trials for their alleged involvement in the 2009 mutiny that saw deaths of over 70 people, including 57 army officers deputed to the paramilitary force. Thousands of BDR personnel were subsequently confined to barracks and denied all outside contact.
It said over 3,000 BDR members were detained after the mutiny. Among them, at least 48 BDR personnel died in custody. There were allegations that torture may have been the cause or a contributing factor in some of these deaths. It was not clear what resources, particularly in terms of additional training for judges, were available to courts to provide fair trials to such an unprecedented number of defendants, the AI said.
Amnesty International Bangladesh researcher Abbas Faiz told bdnews24.com that they are keeping an eye on the trial process of the people accused of human rights abuses during the 1971 independence war. Amnesty said it is still doubtful about the process. "We welcome the government initiative. But we oppose any trials in unfair manner," Faiz told bdnews24.com
He said they are disappointed that Bangladesh have not set up any investigating agency. Abbas said any trial have to be fair, transparent and impartial. "We are looking at it very carefully. We are urging the authorities to ensure that these trial conforms to international fair trial standard."
The report alleged that police continued to use unnecessary and excessive force against protesters. It referred to the police attack on a peaceful demonstration organised by the National Committee on Protection of Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports that left at least 20 people, including chief prof Anu Mohammad, injured.
Amnesty said Bangladeshi newspapers reported that at least 21 cases where a husband had killed his wife because her family could not afford to give him dowry money. Police sources said they had received at least 3,413 complaints of beating and other abuse of women over dowry disputes between January and October.
In many of the known cases, prosecution led to conviction, but the authorities failed to develop, fund and implement an action programme to actively prevent violence against women. Women's rights groups said many cases of violence against women, such as the alleged rape of sex workers in police custody, were not reported for fear of reprisal and lack of protection.
The report said some 64 people were sentenced to death over the last three years. It also criticised the death penalty given to three killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The report stated that power politics across the world is jeopardizing the establishment of fair justice.
In its annual assessment of human rights worldwide, Amnesty said a global justice gap is being made worse by power politics despite a landmark year for international justice. Powerful governments are blocking advances in international justice by standing above the law on human rights, shielding allies from criticism and acting only when politically convenient, the Berlin-based agency said.
"Repression and injustice are flourishing in the global justice gap, condemning millions of people to abuse, oppression and poverty," said Claudio Cordone, interim secretary general of Amnesty International. "Governments must ensure that no one is above the law, and that everyone has access to justice for all human rights violations. Until governments stop subordinating justice to political self-interest, freedom from fear and freedom from want will remain elusive for most of humanity."
Amnesty International called on all governments to ensure accountability for their own actions, fully sign up to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and ensure that crimes under international law can be prosecuted anywhere in the world. It said that states claiming global leadership, including the G20, have a particular responsibility to set an example.
The UN Human Rights Council's paralysis over Sri Lanka, despite serious abuses including possible war crimes carried out by both government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, also stood as a testament to the international community's failure to act when needed.
Meanwhile, the recommendations of the Human Rights Council's Goldstone report calling for accountability for the conflict in Gaza still need to be heeded by Israel and Hamas. Worldwide, the justice gap sustained a pernicious web of repression. Amnesty International's research records torture or other ill-treatment in at least 111 countries, unfair trials in at least 55 countries, restrictions on free speech in at least 96 countries and prisoners of conscience imprisoned in at least 48 countries.
Human rights organisations and human rights defenders came under attack in many countries, with governments preventing their work or failing to protect them. In the Middle East and North Africa, there were patterns of governmental intolerance of criticism in Saudi Arabia, Syria and Tunisia, and mounting repression in Iran.
In Asia, the Chinese government increased pressure on challenges to its authority, detaining and harassing human rights defenders, while thousands fled severe repression and economic hardship in North Korea and Myanmar. Space for independent voices and civil society shrank in parts of Europe and Central Asia, and there were unfair restrictions on freedom of expression in Russia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus and Uzbekistan.
The Americas were plagued by hundreds of unlawful killings by security forces, including in Brazil, Jamaica, Colombia and Mexico, while impunity for US violations related to counter-terrorism persisted. Governments in Africa such as Guinea and Madagascar met dissent with excessive use of force and unlawful killings, while Ethiopia and Uganda among others repressed criticism.
Callous disregard for civilians marked conflicts. Armed groups and government forces breached international law in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka and Yemen. In the conflict in Gaza and southern Israel, Israeli forces and Palestinian armed groups unlawfully killed and injured civilians.
Thousands of civilians suffered abuses in escalating violence by the Taleban in Afghanistan and Pakistan, or bore the brunt of the conflicts in Iraq and Somalia. Women and girls suffered rape and other violence carried out by government forces and armed groups in most conflicts.
Globally, with millions of people pushed into poverty by the food, energy and financial crises, events showed the urgent need to tackle the abuses that affect poverty. "Governments should be held accountable for the human rights abuses that drive and deepen poverty. The UN review meeting on the Millennium Development Goals in New York, USA, this September is an opportunity for world leaders to move from promises to legally enforceable commitments," said Claudio Cordone.
Women, especially the poor, bore the brunt of the failure to deliver on these goals. Pregnancy-related complications claimed the lives of an estimated 350,000 women, with maternal mortality often directly caused by gender discrimination, violations of sexual and reproductive rights, and denial of access to health care.
"Governments must promote women's equality and address discrimination against women if they are going to make progress on the Millennium Development Goals, " said Claudio Cordone, interim Secretary General of Amnesty International.
Amnesty International also called on G20 states that have failed to fully sign up to the International Criminal Court – USA, China, Russia, Turkey, India, Indonesia, and Saudi Arabia – to do so. The international review meeting on the court, beginning in Kampala, Uganda on 31 May, is a chance for governments to show their commitment to the court.
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