Editorial Desk :
Following Khaleda Zia’s verdict on Thursday the capital became doomed, with appearance of a curfew like situation in the midst of clashes and political arrests. Around a thousand BNP leaders and activists were arrested in Dhaka and other districts, according to police and BNP sources. However, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the Bangladesh government must stop the unending flow of arbitrary arrests and detention of opposition BNP supporters and others. Hundreds have been arrested or placed under preventive detention ahead of the verdict in the graft case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, and five others, including her son, the global rights group said in a statement on Thursday. Statistics of another rights body revealed, a total of 1,786 people have been rounded up in the last eight days. We always called for our government not to use the police as political weapon for crushing dissent, but our repeated pleas seem to have fallen in deaf ears.
The police however, have shown some restraint this time yet the right thing would have been to allow peaceful procession under police escort.
According to the HRW statement, the security forces have arrested, tortured, killed, and forcibly disappeared hundreds of opposition supporters often blaming to have caused injuries and deaths and committed arson during demonstrations.
The government has a crucial responsibility to prevent and minimize violence, but it needs to do so in a way that respects basic human rights. What’s more, the government must also publicly order the security forces to abide by the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms.
What was the need for the act of provocation by the government to celebrate the conviction as a great victory of the government. Criminal cases are not private cases between individuals. The show of victory celebration was obscene for any democratic government. The problem is the government is run by the leftists and retired bureaucrats who have no regard for democracy or the rule of law. Criminal conviction is a victory of rule of law, if the rule of law prevails.
The conviction of Begum Khaleda Zia in private trust fund cases without involvement of public money is questionable. If she is found innocent in appeal how the ministers will swallow it, is to be worth noticing.
Following Khaleda Zia’s verdict on Thursday the capital became doomed, with appearance of a curfew like situation in the midst of clashes and political arrests. Around a thousand BNP leaders and activists were arrested in Dhaka and other districts, according to police and BNP sources. However, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that the Bangladesh government must stop the unending flow of arbitrary arrests and detention of opposition BNP supporters and others. Hundreds have been arrested or placed under preventive detention ahead of the verdict in the graft case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, and five others, including her son, the global rights group said in a statement on Thursday. Statistics of another rights body revealed, a total of 1,786 people have been rounded up in the last eight days. We always called for our government not to use the police as political weapon for crushing dissent, but our repeated pleas seem to have fallen in deaf ears.
The police however, have shown some restraint this time yet the right thing would have been to allow peaceful procession under police escort.
According to the HRW statement, the security forces have arrested, tortured, killed, and forcibly disappeared hundreds of opposition supporters often blaming to have caused injuries and deaths and committed arson during demonstrations.
The government has a crucial responsibility to prevent and minimize violence, but it needs to do so in a way that respects basic human rights. What’s more, the government must also publicly order the security forces to abide by the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms.
What was the need for the act of provocation by the government to celebrate the conviction as a great victory of the government. Criminal cases are not private cases between individuals. The show of victory celebration was obscene for any democratic government. The problem is the government is run by the leftists and retired bureaucrats who have no regard for democracy or the rule of law. Criminal conviction is a victory of rule of law, if the rule of law prevails.
The conviction of Begum Khaleda Zia in private trust fund cases without involvement of public money is questionable. If she is found innocent in appeal how the ministers will swallow it, is to be worth noticing.
