EU not happy with rights records

The European Union might intervene to prevent human rights violations in Bangladesh unless the scenario improves, head of the delegation of European Commission to Bangladesh Stefan Frowein said yesterday.

"If need be, we will intervene through dialogues and diplomatic means to defend human rights,” he said at a national advocacy meeting organised by rights group Odhikar in the city.

“However, we would like the Bangladesh government to address the issue at national level," he said.

Frowein said that extra-judicial killings, torture in custody, cruelty, inhuman and degrading treatment are just unacceptable and no one should be subjected to any of those abuses.

The meeting on national awareness building on torture and the OPCAT (Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture) was held in cooperation with RCT Denmark (Rehabilitation and Research Centre for Torture Victims).

FM Masum, staff reporter of the New Age, while recounting his recent ordeal in the hands of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab-10) personnel told the meeting that Rab men led by flight lieutenant Anisur Rahman stormed into his Jatrabari house in the morning of October 22 and beat him up on charge of drug peddling.

“They blindfolded me and took to Rab-10 headquarters to torture me further on a ridiculous fabricated allegation,” said Masum.

He was set free in the evening following intervention by his senior colleagues, he said.

According to Odhikar's findings, at least 44 people were victims of torture in 2008 alone and a total of 74 people have allegedly been tortured by the law enforcement agencies during the past 10 months of the present government.

Article 35 of Bangladesh's constitution provides that no person shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman, degrading treatment.

But there are well-documented allegations of torture by law enforcement agencies in Bangladesh as a routine practice to extract confessional statements from arrestees, said Odhikar member Dr Saira Rahman Khan.

Farhad Mazhar, Odhikar adviser, presided over the inaugural session of the daylong event.

A number of senior journalists and editors, Awami League lawmaker Suranjit Sengupta and BNP lawmaker Md Barkat Ullah Bulu among others attended the working sessions presided by Odhikar president Dr CR Abrar and treasurer Farida Akhter.