Minister's bland statement on extra-judicial killings
The Information Minister's response to the US 2015 Country report that cites, among other things, the rise in extrajudicial killings and the failure of authorities to maintain effective control over security forces, is perfunctory, to say the least. To declare that the government neither supports nor allows extrajudicial killings is to say nothing at all. It goes without saying that a democratic government can never allow such violation of human rights under any circumstances. Such occurrences are a travesty of justice and can only be regarded as crimes that must be punished and prevented altogether.
But the fact remains that despite the minister's ambivalent reaction, extrajudicial killings have occurred. There have been, as the Report cites, cases of forced disappearances, arbitrary arrests and detentions and torture carried out by security forces. According to Ain O Shalish Kendra, the number of extrajudicial killings and deaths in custody in 2014 was 128 and in 2015 the number shot up to 192. Such horrifying statistics show that law enforcers, who are supposed to be a disciplined force in charge of protecting citizens, have been abusing their authority and committing these crimes with impunity. The Minister has stated that the government has always investigated cases of extrajudicial killings and taken punitive action against those found guilty. We would like to know what these actions are.
Just insisting that the government does not support extrajudicial killings and other human rights abuses by security forces is not enough. Unless the state takes active steps to make sure such killings do not take place in the first place, we will merely be going around in circles and justice will be further away in sight.
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