Act promptly to stop extra-judicial killings

Human Rights Forum Bangladesh (HRFB) yesterday called upon the government to take prompt actions for ending extrajudicial killings in the country.

It said the government needs to form a judicial commission to neutrally probe into allegations of such killings, as well as allegations of enforced disappearance and custodial torture against the law enforcement agencies.

At a virtual press conference, the forum members demanded the government should make public reports of the commission, ensure punishment of perpetrators as per the reports, and pay due compensation to the victims and their family members.

HRFB is a platform of 20 leading rights and development organisations of the country.

The forum members said state agencies should follow High Court directives while detaining or arresting any citizen of the country.

Besides, the government should ensure proper monitoring so that the directives are being followed at the field level accordingly, they added.

Moreover, the government has to take actions over incidents of rights violations like curb of freedom of expression, violence against children, and rights violation of ethnic and religious minorities, they said.

Referring to Ain o Salish Kendra statistics, Tamanna Hoq of HRFB said from January to August 25 this year, some 210 people became victims of "gunfights".

Reading out the keynote paper, she said some 588 people were killed during the government's anti-narcotics crackdown between May 2018 and August 25 this year.

As per media reports, some 287 people were killed in "shootouts" in the name of anti-narcotics drive in the last two years in Cox's Bazar alone, she said.

Of them, 161 people were killed in Teknaf alone.

Tamanna said 110 people were killed in "gunfights" during police drives in Teknaf when Pradip Kumar Das, an accused in Maj Sinha murder, was the officer-in-charge of Teknaf police station.

Responding to a query, she said as per claims of family members and witnesses, some 604 people fell victims to enforced disappearance between 2007 and August 25 this year.

There is no sign of ending the extrajudicial killings in the country. Such incidents are taking place even amid the coronavirus pandemic, said Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir of ASK.

Zakir Hossain, executive director of Nagorik Uddyog, said during Bangladesh's universal periodic review in 2009, the then foreign minister of Awami League government pledged before the international community that the government would show "zero tolerance" to such incidents.

However, there is no visible progress to this effect yet, he said.

Unfortunately, the government has increased the level of such torture and became "innovative" in doing so, he added.

Nijera Kori Coordinator Khushi Kabir said many people are hesitant to share their opinions even on social media out of fear.

"This is unacceptable," she said, stressing the need for upholding democratic values and practices in the society.

Manusher Jonno Foundation Executive Director Shaheen Anam said they conducted some surveys during the pandemic and found violence against children increased in the country.

She referred to recent deaths of three children at Jashore juvenile correction centre and said institutional reforms to the centre and similar others were essential to avert the recurrence of such incidents.

Although the constitution guarantees equal rights for all, rights of ethnic community has not been ensured in about 50 years of the country's independence, said Sanjeeb Drong, general secretary of Bangladesh Adibashi Forum.

Shamsul Huda, executive director of Association for Land Reform and Development, Saleh Ahmed, executive director of Bandhu Social Welfare Society, and Taqbir Huda of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust also addressed the press conference moderated by Ranjan Karmaker, executive director of Steps Towards Development.