Staff Reporter :
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet called upon the government to form an independent body to investigate the allegations over the extrajudicial killing or enforced disappearance in the country.
Apart from this, she also underscored the need for maximising civic and political space as well as freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly of the parties ahead of the election. Michelle Bachelet delivered the speech in a press conference in a city hotel on Wednesday. Raising concern about the enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killing, she said, “Various UN human rights mechanisms – including the UN Committee Against Torture, have been raising concerns for several years about allegations of enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killing, torture, many of which have been attributed to the Rapid Action Battalion, and the lack of accountability for such violations.”
“There are continued, alarming allegations of both short-term and long-term enforced disappearances, and concerns about the lack of due process and judicial safeguards. Particularly given the long-standing frustrations at the lack of progress in investigations and other obstacles to justice,” she said.
“I would encourage the government to create an independent, specialised mechanism that works closely with victims, families and civil society to investigate allegations of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. My Office is ready to provide advice on how such a body could be designed in line with international standards,” she continued.
“I raised my deep concern about these serious allegations with Government ministers and highlighted the need for an impartial, independent and transparent investigation into these allegations accompanied by security sector reform,” she added.
Michelle also said that during her visit to Dhaka she talked with the National Human Rights Commission which told her that there have been some cases of extrajudicial killings.
“What I believe that an investigation is necessary about such issues when an allegations come to the fore. The government should take it into acknowledgement and carry out an investigation. If it is proved wrong, there is no problem,” he continued.
She also mentioned that, “Inviting the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances to visit Bangladesh would also show a commitment to decisively address this issue. As the biggest contributor of uniformed personnel to UN peacekeeping missions, Bangladesh should ensure that it has a robust system in place to ensure the careful human rights screening of security personnel.”
Highlighting the checks and balances needed for Bangladesh, she said, “Democratic and civic space, as well as effective checks and balances are essential as Bangladesh aims for the next levels of development. It also contributes to decrease the risk of corruption and other hurdles to sustainable economic development and sound fiscal management.”
About the necessity, of political dialogue, she said, “There needs to be space for more dialogue among political parties and with a wide range of civil society actors to prevent grievances from building and erupting in social unrest. The voices of women, religious minorities and indigenous peoples, and especially young people need to be heard.”
About the functions of the government ahead of the elections, the UN High Commissioner said, “The election period will be an important time for Bangladesh to maximize civic and political space, including peaceful assembly of political activists, human rights defenders, opposition parties and journalists.”
She also said that it was also important to ensure that law enforcement forces should have the necessary training to manage protests without resorting to the excessive use of force.
Regarding the Rohingya issue, she said that the Rohingya issue should be addressed through a sustainable and dignified way by ensuring their rights to citizenships so that they don’t come back again and again as it happened in the past.
Regarding the minority issues in the country, she said, “It is important to protect the minority groups, Hindus and indigenous peoples from violence or land encroachments.”
About the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, she said, “The peace accord 25 years ago was an important achievement. But given the continued allegations of human rights violations, linked with land disputes and the need for demilitarisation, I called for full implementation of the peace accord and unrestricted access for independent actors to visit the area.”
About the digital security act, the UN High Commissioner said, “My office and the Government have engaged in dialogue on review of the Digital Security Act. I acknowledge the need to regulate the online space, addressing online hate speech, disinformation and combating cybercrime.”
“Addressing these concerns is not simple, as regulating communications always create risks for the protection of freedom of expression. We have submitted our recommendations for repeal and revision of certain provisions of the Act, with a view to ensuring their compliance with international human rights laws and standards and preventing arbitrary application or misuse,” she added.
UN looks forward to the Government’s feedback and timeline to expedite the review, she continued.
She also urged the government, political parties and civil society members to arrange a national dialogue to find out solutions about the current situation of country against the global unrest.
