Amnesty Int'l Report : Extrajudicial killings slated
Excessive use of force by security agencies, especially Rab, and the government's failure to stop extrajudicial execution are major impediments to ensuring human rights in Bangladesh, Amnesty International has said in its annual report.
The international human rights organisation yesterday published the report on the state of human rights across the world."The government failed to fulfil its pledge to end extrajudicial executions," the report said in a chapter on Bangladesh.It pointed out violation of human rights through arbitrary arrests and detentions, extrajudicial executions, and torture and ill-treatment of people during raid and interrogation.
The report put the number of suspected extra-judicial executions, especially by Rab, at more than 60 in the first 10 months of the last year."Torture of detainees held by the police or other security forces reportedly led to the death of six individuals," the report said, and showed that security personnel's excessive use of force was often targeted at opposition political activists.
When The Daily Star contacted Rab Legal and Media Wing Director Commander M Sohail, he said, "It's a general statement...In the case of specific allegations, the matter would be investigated."The government's failure to ensure security exposed the Jumma inhabitants to attacks from Bangalee settlers trying to occupy their land in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the report said.The report mentioned dozens of garment workers demanding higher wages were injured at the hands of police and Rab personnel in June and August last year, but no security personnel were charged for the attacks on them.
The London-based organisation also voiced concern over violence against women and girls.The report observed that the rise of social media has offered an unprecedented opportunity for human rights across the globe, citing examples from countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Yemen."The year 2010 may well be remembered as a watershed year when activists and journalists used new technology to speak the truth to power and, in so doing, pushed for greater respect for human rights," it said."It is also the year when repressive governments faced the real possibility that their days were numbered."
The report underscored the need for people's access to information and technology and recognised WikiLeaks' contribution to changing human rights situation around the world.
Full Text: http://amnesty.org/en/region/bangladesh/report-2011#section-12-8
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