Conspiracy being hatched to create troubles on Human Rights Day: Hasan

A conspiracy is being hatched to create a troublesome situation on the Human Rights Day on 10 December, Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud said on Friday.

He was addressing a cheque distribution ceremony of Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust at S Rahman Hall of Chattogram Press Club this afternoon.

Hasan said, "Human rights has now become a "business" tool for some countries, as they use it to suppress other nations in the guise of promoting human rights."

Innocent people are being killed through petrol-bomb attacks but those who always issue statements on so-called human rights violations remain silent on that issue, he added.

Sometimes these people become vocal in favor of some terrorists as well but they don't raise voice against the terrorists who are killing people, he said.

The information minister said there are some human rights organisations in the world which only do business over the matter.

These businessmen of human rights do not protest the killing of hundreds of innocent people, including women and children in Palestine, but they talk about human rights in Bangladesh, he added.

The biggest violation of human rights occurred in Bangladesh on 15 August 1975 through the assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman along with most of his family members, he mentioned.

After the assassination, an indemnity ordinance was issued under Ziaur Rahman's leadership and it was later turned into an act to stop the path to bring the killers to justice, he said.

Hasan further said the second greatest violation of human rights took place in 1977 when army and air force officers were killed without any trial and even the verdict of death sentence came after the execution of death penalty by hanging officers.

Later, ghastly grenade attacks were launched on anti-terrorism rally of the then opposition party Awami League at Bangabandhu Avenue on 21 August in 2004.

The country also saw how innocent people were killed in petrol-bomb attacks in 2013, 2014 and 2015, he said, adding these incidents were examples of extreme violations of human rights.

There are some people whose profession is to issue statements, he said.

The minister said an attack was carried out in a Palestine hospital leaving 500 people dead at a time and another attack was launched in another hospital where all ICU patients died as the hospital became out of order due to the attack.

Under these circumstances of extreme violation of human rights, Bangladesh cannot stay silent, he said.

"From the very beginning, I have been vocal against it and I will continue to do so. Our government and prime minister also remain vocal on the issue. Our Prime Minister protested it in the United Nations as well. After holding a meeting, she also requested all envoys of Arab countries to fix what to do over the issue," he said.

Hasan said in a democratic society, any political party can call hartals and blockades, make anti-government statements but killing people in petrol-bomb attacks after calling hartal cannot be any political programme, rather these are terrorist activities and violation of human rights.

He urged the journalists to raise their voice against such terrorist activities.

Replying to a question whether any labour leader is working as an agent of anyone, the minister said some labour leaders went abroad 12 times in a year and paid Tk18-20 lakh air fare and some of them have large flats and expensive vehicles.

"Before joining a rally of labourers, they kept their vehicle a few yards away from the venue and went there by rickshaw to hide their vehicles. Today it is clear they are working as agents of whom," he said adding all have to remain alert about such agents.

Chattogram Union of Journalists (CUJ) president Tapan Chakraborty presided over the function while its general secretary Shamsul Islam delivered the welcome speech.

Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) vice-president Shahidul Alam, Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust member Kalim Sarwar, Chattogram Press Club former president Ali Abbas, CUJ senior vice-president Rubel Khan, vice-president Anindya Titu and Chattogram Press Club general secretary Debdulal Bhowmik, among others, spoke.

Later, the information minister handed over cheques for assistance among 28 journalists of Chattogram.