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| SOS Bangladesh: Government denies human rights abuse during hearing at the European Parliament |
| On Thursday, 12 May 2008, GHRD participated in an informal hearing on the human rights situation in Bangladesh hosted by MEP Johan Van Hecke at the European Parliament. |
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The title of the hearing, SOS Bangladesh, was well chosen since the situation in Bangladesh is alarming in many respects. The hearing coincided with the thousands of arbitrary arrests and many reports about disappearances and torture that escalated over the past few weeks. As expected, the present representative of the Bangladeshi Embassy denied any governmental involvement in human rights abuse. But statements such as: “Bangladesh has a history of good human rights records, in particular for women.” and ‘no-one is being arrested without reason in Bangladesh’ spawned a wave of disagreement through the audience. ‘I am afraid to speak here today. I am one of those whose right hand still is dysfunctional because of my reporting in Bangladesh.’ Said Ahmed Swapan, a torture victim and exiled Bangladeshi journalist. |
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| ‘I am afraid to speak here today. I am one of those whose right hand still is dysfunctional because of my reporting in Bangladesh.’
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(Ahmed Swapan, Bangla-tv)
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| Three major challenges in Bangladesh were highlighted and discussed: human rights, climate change, and continuing political instability. Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury (writer and columnist), Paul Manik (HRCBM) and Ahmed Swapan (Bangla-tv), gave various examples of how human rights are severely abused in Bangladesh. The first speaker denounced the arbitrary arrest and torture of human rights defenders by the law-enforcement agencies, comparing the current situation to the Pinochet regime in Chile. ‘Humiliation and violence is the only language spoken by the government’, he stated. Mr Manik from HRCBM emphasised the continuous discrimination of minorities and violence against women and children (such as gang rapes) in the country. Mr Swapan expressed his concern about the lack of media freedom and stated that journalists are suffering from the impunity of the authorities who are strictly limiting freedom of expression, as well as from an overall trend of rising fundamentalism. |
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The second session, chaired by MEP Bart STAES (Greens/AVA), shed light on the alarming effects of climate change in Bangladesh. ECHO-representative Le Thiec applauded the (civil) society efforts for food distribution in the aftermath of Cyclone Sidr, but equally stressed that Bangladesh now has to invest in disaster preparedness. She added that the European Commission is currently working on an early warning system. Nazrul Islam (Human Rights Watch) and Murad Qureshi (British Labour Party) both strongly warned for the disastrous consequences of global warming for Bangladesh and its citizens.
Finally, the political situation and the absence of democracy and rule of law was discussed. William Sloan (International Association of Democratic Lawyers) shared some of his own experiences. He explained how, during his last visit to Bangladesh, he was held up and interrogated at the airport, cautioned by the DGFI, barred from the courtroom where Sheikh Hasina was on |
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trial, interdicted from holding a press conference, confined in his hotel room for ten hours, and escorted to the airport by police and detained until boarding time. “In Bangladesh, they have their own Lord Voldemort – the DGFI. They are so feared that people don’t even dare mentioning its name,” he said, making a reference to the Harry Potter books.
Representatives from Awami League denounced the recent mass arrests and stated that the overwhelming control of the Executive over the judiciary and civil service, combined with the term of office expiration of the elected representatives, have led to the total dissolution of separation of power in Bangladesh. The current Caretaker Government has not only failed in its constitutional mandate of providing aid and assistance for holding parliamentary elections, but has also failed to create a political context in which free and fair elections can be held; keeping party leaders and politicians in detention and banning all political activities will not pave the roadmap to the restoration of democracy in Bangladesh was the strong message of Awami League. |
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| “In Bangladesh, they have their own Lord Voldemort – the DGFI. They are so feared that people don’t even dare mentioning its name,”
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(William Sloan, International Association for Democratic Lawyers) |
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The present representative of the Bangladeshi Embassy questioned the speakers’ statements and denied any governmental involvement in human rights abuse. It is clear that the present government is unwilling to acknowledge the deteriorating human rights situation, but the development must continue to be closely monitored in Bangladesh. As concluded by MEP Johan van Hecke: “Only legitimate elections and political reconciliation offer a way out for Bangladesh.” |
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| Official press release from European Parliament |
| Website MEP Johan van Hecke |
