Six int’l orgs concerned about Bangladesh’s human rights situation

Six international human rights organisations have expressed deep concern about "Bangladesh's current human rights situation and the closure of civic space" as the country heads towards national elections on 7 January 2024.

"The extensive use of violence and arbitrary detentions in Bangladesh paints a grim picture of the state of democracy and human rights in the country," the organisations said in a joint statement published on the website of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, one of the signatories, on Tuesday.

"These abuses are committed in the context of a social movement in which the people are demanding free and fair elections next January," the statement added.

Instead of upholding the fundamental principles of democracy, the Bangladesh government's violent and repressive response "has created an environment of fear, anxiety, and extreme insecurity for citizens", the statement said.

"We stand with the people of Bangladesh as they strive for a fair, democratic, and peaceful society. We strongly urge an immediate halt to the violence, repression, and intimidation targeting political opponents," said the human rights organisations.

Other signatories to the statement are: the Capital Punishment Justice Project, the United Against Torture Consortium, the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances, the Anti-Death Penalty Asia Network, and the International Coalition Against Enforced Disappearances.

"Since late October 2023, following the rallies and demonstrations co-organised by the political opposition, the ruling Awami League has resorted to violence to suppress protests and political dissent," reads the statement.

They called on Bangladeshi security forces to urgently follow international human rights standards, including the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials and the United Nations Human Rights Guidance on Less-Lethal Weapons in Law Enforcement.

The statement also referred to recent remarks by United Nations experts expressing concern about the recent violent crackdown.

Besides, the joint statement also expressed concern about the draft Data Protection Act, which allows law enforcement unrestricted authority to access citizens' data "if it is deemed necessary for national security or the prevention or detection of an offence."

"Misuse of such power could lead to widespread surveillance, particularly of political dissenters, and pose a threat to human rights, particularly the right to privacy. The cases in which collection and access are necessary must be clearly and narrowly tailored to the legitimate purposes they aim to accomplish, limited in time and scope, and subject to an independent judicial review," it said.