France-based rights group urges scrapping death penalty in Bangladesh
The statement asserts that the death penalty is an irreversible and inhumane punishment that has no place in a just and civilised society
JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) has called upon Bangladesh's interim government, led by Nobel laureate Prof Dr Muhammad Yunus to abolish the death penalty in all its forms.
The statement from the France-based rights group came on the occasion of World Day Against the Death Penalty 2024 being observed on Thursday (10 October).
The statement asserts that the death penalty is an irreversible and inhumane punishment that has no place in a just and civilised society.
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This stance aligns with national and international legal frameworks that prioritise human dignity, the right to life, and fairness.
Article 32 of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh guarantees the right to life and personal liberty, yet the death penalty contradicts this fundamental right, it noted.
"While justice and accountability are essential, capital punishment is neither a deterrent to crime nor a path to true justice," JMBF emphasised.
"It disproportionately affects the marginalised, the underprivileged, and those who lack access to proper legal representation."
According to JMBF, over 2,000 individuals are currently on death row in Bangladesh. The organisation calls for an urgent reconsideration of the practice as part of the global movement toward abolition.
From 2013 to 2023, Bangladesh carried out at least 30 executions, mostly in cases involving murder, terrorism, and war crimes related to the 1971 Liberation War.
JMBF expressed concern about the fairness of trials, with reports of coerced confessions, inadequate legal defense, and the use of torture, which undermine the credibility of the justice system and increase the risk of wrongful executions.
The organisation pointed to flaws in Bangladesh's justice system, such as overcrowded courts, prolonged detention without trial, and the lack of legal aid. In some cases, death sentences were handed down without proper representation or fair trials, violating fundamental rights.
JMBF highlighted global studies showing that the death penalty does not deter crime, citing over 85 nations that have abolished it since 1976.
Robert Simon, a French human rights activist and chief adviser of JMBF, stated, "The death penalty is an irreversible punishment that reflects not justice, but the shortcomings of our legal system."
Advocate Shahanur Islam, founder president of JMBF, emphasised, "Our fight is not just for those on death row but for the integrity of our justice system and the future of human rights in Bangladesh. Abolishing the death penalty sends a clear message that justice should protect human dignity, not take human life."
