Staff Reporter :
Independent media outlets came under severe pressure from the authorities restricting the freedom of expression in Bangladesh, according to the annual report of Amnesty International (AI).
“In October the government warned business enterprises that they would be penalised if they advertised in Prothom-Alo and the Daily Star, two leading newspapers known for their critical stance,” added the report published on Tuesday.
The report added that in November, a parliamentary standing committee recommended that the anti-corruption NGO Transparency International should be deregistered in Bangladesh for criticising the Parliament.’
‘A court in Dhaka imposed charges of contempt of court against 49 civil society activists who criticised its trials as unfair.’
‘Authorities blocked social media messaging and other communications applications in November, in what constituted restrictions on freedom of expression.’
‘Bloggers expressing secular views were attacked, reportedly by Islamist groups.’
‘In February 2015, Avijit Roy was hacked to death by men wielding machetes. His wife, Rafida Ahmed Bonya,
survived. By August, three other bloggers, Washiqur Rahman, Niloy Neel and Ananta Bijoy Das, had been hacked to death.
‘In October 2015, a publisher of secularist literature was hacked to death, and a publisher and two secularist writers survived an attack. Government authorities, including the Prime Minister, accused the bloggers and publishers of offending religious feelings in their writings.’
Regarding enforced disappearance in Bangladesh, the Amnesty International in its report said that members of the security forces in plain clothes arrested dozens of people and later denied knowledge of their whereabouts.
A survey of national newspapers conducted by the human rights organization Ain O Salish Kendra indicated the enforced disappearance of at least 43 individuals, including two women, between January and September. Of the 43, six were later found dead; four were released after their abduction; and five were found in police custody. The fate and whereabouts of the other 28 was unknown.’
“Trials continued against three Rapid Action Battalion officers charged with abducting and killing seven people in April 2014. No members of security forces or officials implicated in other cases of enforced disappearance were brought to justice,” it said.
AI also warned of a global assault on human rights in its annual report and accused institutions, such as, the United Nations of not doing enough to protect civilians.
“A number of governments have “brazenly” broken international law and are undermining human rights by attacking, neglecting and underfunding institutions meant to protect people,” it said.
Those bodies include U.N. human rights mechanisms, the International Criminal Court and regional bodies, such as the Council of Europe and the Inter-American human rights system.
Amnesty reported that in 2015 more than 98 states tortured or ill-treated people, and at least 30 countries “illegally forced refugees to return to countries where they would be in danger.” Governments or armed groups in at least 18 countries committed war crimes or other violations of war.
