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Rights overruled
Saad Hammadi finds out how the government continues the legacy of defying human rights in the country by scrapping prominent human rights coalition, Odhikar’s, training and advocacy programme
MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/DrikNEWS
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Bangladesh’s re-election to the United Nations Human Rights Council in May this year owes much to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s efforts and commitment to protecting human rights during her parliamentary election campaigns.
But three months after the country was re-elected to the UNHRC for a three-year term, the government has scrapped one of the prominent human rights coalitions, Odhikar’s training and advocacy programme on August 17. In the meanwhile, not only has the government continued the legacy of extrajudicial killings, which it once strongly protested against as the opposition party, but some of the ministers have gone on to defend its continuity.
The revocation of Odhikar’s programme and subsequent statements of the ministers’ regarding the continuity of extrajudicial killings has however, raised questions regarding the government’s commitment towards protecting human rights.
‘In a country where during the last 70 days (as of October 11), 69 people have been killed in crossfire, this news (about Odhikar) does not surprise me at all,’ says Asafuddowlah, a former bureaucrat.
The programme titled ‘Human Rights Defenders Training and Advocacy Programme in Bangladesh’ was aimed at empowering the human rights defenders with advocacy tools, fact-finding and monitoring.
The human rights defenders under the programme were to carry out fact-finding missions, observe the police stations and cases and conduct campaigns against harassment and violation of human rights by the state agencies.
Although these activities are a part of Odhikar’s continued exercise, it had intensified its campaigns from January 2009 after the Denmark based Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims (RCT) agreed to financially support Odhikar as part of a larger project funded by the European Union.
This had drawn on a new light of hope, especially after a politically sovereign government assumed power. The organisation observed the ‘International Day in Support of Victims of Torture’ on June 26, carrying out rallies at Satkhira, Jessore, Kushtia, Sirajganj, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Tangail, Munshiganj and Sylhet.
On June 27, it arranged an open tribunal against torture during the state of emergency, where five victims and a witness testified to the incidents of torture by law enforcement agencies. The tribunal was attended by district commissioners, police superintendents, representatives of local government institutions, political parties, media and the people.
The event, a one of its kind in the country, was welcomed by the civil society and discussed various issues that required the government’s attention.
However, following these events, on August 17, the government scrapped Odhikar’s training and advocacy programme. The letter, however, reached the Odhikar office on August 31.
‘The government can always cancel permission,’ says Dr Shahdeen Malik, a human rights activist and a supreme court lawyer. However, he says, ‘there has to be a reason and due process. If Odhikar had taken any wrong steps or activities the government should have warned them first and given them an opportunity to explain. Only after that could the government have taken a decision.’
In a letter signed by an official of the NGO Affairs Bureau on August 17, Odhikar was notified about the cancellation of its programme due to objections placed by the home ministry. The content of the objection was however, not cited in the letter.
The human rights organisation applied to the bureau in November last year to receive funding for the project. After its scrutiny, the bureau initially approved its programme on April 28.
‘The sudden closure of Odhikar’s programme is clearly arbitrary and contrary to law,’ says Malik adding that these are all manifestations of the government’s disregard for the rule of law.
The sudden cancellation of Odhikar’s programme raised concerns among many national and international human rights organisations that have condemned the government’s actions.
‘It appears that this decision is an attempt to sidetrack the government’s promises to improve human rights and to allow civil society actors to assist the state in the performance of the state’s obligations relating to human rights,’ says Basil Fernando, executive director of Asian Human Rights Commission.
Similar concerns were expressed in open letters to the prime minister by the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, World Forum for Democratisation in Asia, Forum Asia, FrontLine and the International Commission of Jurists.
The human rights organisation claims to have exercised its duties keeping with the country’s constitution, convention against torture, international convention on civil and political rights and Paris principles for human rights defenders in covalence.
‘The programmes we organised brought the voice of victims’ families before the district commissioners, police superintendents and various government representatives,’ says Adilur Rahman Khan, secretary general of Odhikar and a supreme court lawyer. ‘The recent revocation of the project is an attempt to stop the voice of those victims.’
It must be noted that despite being a member of the UN Human Rights Council for a second consecutive term and being a party to the Convention against Torture, the human rights record in the country has never been good, says an Odhikar statement.
Recalling a recent remark of one of the cabinet ministers defending the continuity of extrajudicial killings Asafuddowlah says, ‘this statement and Bangladesh’s signing of the UN Human Rights Convention and its repeated declaration in favour of guaranteeing human rights and dignity appear to be inconsistent and expectedly incoherent.’
While congratulating Bangladesh for its membership at the UN Human Rights Council, Arthur Erken, acting interim UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh says, ‘we hope and trust that Bangladesh will use this opportunity to strengthen human rights.’
‘Bangladesh has certain commitments there (at the UNHRC) which it has to abide by establishing human rights standards and not repressing vocal human rights organisations,’ Adilur concludes.
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