Security forces trampling rights: US report
The US State Department in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011 has said that killings and torture by security forces are the 'most significant human rights problems' in Bangladesh.
The country report, launched on Thursday, is an annual publication of the state department that covers human rights situation around the world.
"An increasingly politicised judiciary exacerbated problems in an already overwhelmed judicial system and constrained access to justice for members of opposition parties," the report added. The report was launched at a time when the leaders of the opposition are facing mass arrest and refusal of bail from the lower court.
The report came just a day after London-based Amnesty International in its annual report lambasted Bangladesh for its 'failure' to live up to the pledge to end extrajudicial killings.
However, the state minister for home Shamsul Hoque Tuku rejected the claim saying there was accountability and many members of the law-enforcing agencies had faced departmental action. "The security force is responsible for disappearances, custodial deaths and arbitrary arrests, and they often abuse power," the US report alleged.
"Authorities infringed on citizens' privacy rights." Limited freedom of speech, harassment of journalists by the security forces, and politically-motivated violence remained a problem, it mentioned.
The report said that impunity continued to be a serious problem in several areas and members of the security forces committed numerous extrajudicial killings. "Most members of the security forces acted with impunity, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in particular."
Quoting the media and human rights organisations, the report said RAB killed 43 people last year, compared to 68 the previous year. "Since 2004...the government has not disclosed any prosecution of a RAB officer for a killing."
Violence along border
The report said that violence along the Indian border remained a problem. Quoting human rights organisations, it said India's Border Security Force killed 31 Bangladeshis during the year. Citing an example, it said Indian forces shot and killed 15-year-old Felani Khatun when she attempted to cross the border fence on Jan 7 last year. "Felani's body hung from the fence for five hours before Indian authorities transferred her to their Bangladeshi counterparts."
Disappearances
Disappearances and kidnappings, many allegedly by the security services, increased during the year, but precise figures were unavailable, the report said. "According to Odhikar, there were 30 disappearances with alleged ties to security personnel, compared with nine in 2010."
The report alleged that the police were generally ineffective and reluctant to investigate persons affiliated with the ruling party.
http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=225225&cid=2
The US State Department in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2011 has said that killings and torture by security forces are the 'most significant human rights problems' in Bangladesh.
The country report, launched on Thursday, is an annual publication of the state department that covers human rights situation around the world.
"An increasingly politicised judiciary exacerbated problems in an already overwhelmed judicial system and constrained access to justice for members of opposition parties," the report added. The report was launched at a time when the leaders of the opposition are facing mass arrest and refusal of bail from the lower court.
The report came just a day after London-based Amnesty International in its annual report lambasted Bangladesh for its 'failure' to live up to the pledge to end extrajudicial killings.
However, the state minister for home Shamsul Hoque Tuku rejected the claim saying there was accountability and many members of the law-enforcing agencies had faced departmental action. "The security force is responsible for disappearances, custodial deaths and arbitrary arrests, and they often abuse power," the US report alleged.
"Authorities infringed on citizens' privacy rights." Limited freedom of speech, harassment of journalists by the security forces, and politically-motivated violence remained a problem, it mentioned.
The report said that impunity continued to be a serious problem in several areas and members of the security forces committed numerous extrajudicial killings. "Most members of the security forces acted with impunity, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in particular."
Quoting the media and human rights organisations, the report said RAB killed 43 people last year, compared to 68 the previous year. "Since 2004...the government has not disclosed any prosecution of a RAB officer for a killing."
Violence along border
The report said that violence along the Indian border remained a problem. Quoting human rights organisations, it said India's Border Security Force killed 31 Bangladeshis during the year. Citing an example, it said Indian forces shot and killed 15-year-old Felani Khatun when she attempted to cross the border fence on Jan 7 last year. "Felani's body hung from the fence for five hours before Indian authorities transferred her to their Bangladeshi counterparts."
Disappearances
Disappearances and kidnappings, many allegedly by the security services, increased during the year, but precise figures were unavailable, the report said. "According to Odhikar, there were 30 disappearances with alleged ties to security personnel, compared with nine in 2010."
The report alleged that the police were generally ineffective and reluctant to investigate persons affiliated with the ruling party.
http://bdnews24.com/details.php?id=225225&cid=2
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