Accept 23 UPR recommendations

An alliance of human rights organisations has called upon the government to immediately accept 23 recommendations, on which Bangladesh deferred its decision while taking part in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the UN recently.

A total of 251 recommendations were placed at UPR to improve rights situation in Bangladesh, of which the government accepted 167 and rejected 61. About the remaining 23, the government “sought time” till this year-end to take a decision, saying those were “politically sensitive” and it was “not well-prepared”.

The recommendations include ensuring credible investigation into enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, trial and punishment of law enforcement agencies and their members for committing such incidents, repealing a provision that allows child marriage in “special circumstances” in the Child Marriage Restraint Act, and review of the proposed Digital Security Act to ensure freedom of expression.

In a statement, Human Rights Forum Bangladesh (HRFB) also urged the government to review the 61 recommendations it rejected during the UPR held in Geneva on May 7-18.

HRFB, an alliance of 20 rights groups, said the rejection of the recommendations was not “acceptable”. During the second cycle of UPR (2012-2016), Bangladesh turned down only five of 196 recommendations, it said. The alliance, which attended this year's UPR as a stakeholder, yesterday held a press briefing at Dhaka Reporters Unity to inform the media about the outcomes.

Zakir Hossain, steering committee member of HRFB and executive director of Nagorik Udyog; Pallab Chakma, ED of Kapaeeng Foundation and Ranjan Karmakar, ED of Steps Towards Development were present there, among others.