Section 57 shrinks press freedom

Grim picture of human rights situation is prevailing in the country although the government promised to the UN Human Rights Council to improve it, said Human Rights Forum Bangladesh yesterday.

The state could not stop extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Besides, effectiveness and independence of organs like National Human Rights Commission, Information Commission and Anti-Corruption Commission are questionable, said the forum, a coalition of 20 rights bodies.

The forum was disseminating data of a draft universal periodic review (UPR) stakeholders' report at a views exchange meeting at the capital's Cirdap auditorium yesterday.

It said the space for freedom of press and freethinkers have shrunk with the country experiencing misuse of section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act, which created panic among journalists. Incidents of blogger-killing took place since 2013.

The UPR stakeholders, who include civil society, NGOs and National Human Rights Commission, will submit a report before the UN Human Rights Council within October 5 for the third cycle to be effective between 2017 and 2021.

A review of the report is supposed to take place in May, 2018. Besides, the Bangladesh government and different UN associate organisations will submit two separate reports.

Forum member and Transparency International Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said the government should address extrajudicial killing and enforced disappearance and make required legal changes to eradicate those.

“Although the government reiterated its 'zero-tolerance' policy on extrajudicial killing, in reality this type of killing has been recurring alarmingly,” he said, while reading out a paper, adding 823 persons became victims of such killings between 2013 and June, 2017.

Sheepa Hafiza, forum convener and executive director of Ain o Salish Kendra, said they have prepared a comprehensive report with views of all parties involved in the forum.

Foreign Affairs Secretary M Shahidul Haque said they will consider the stakeholders' report with due importance while addressing the issue and preparing a state report.

He said as on previous occasions, Bangladesh will show strong reservations about accepting recommendations such as repealing death sentence and accepting same-sex relationship.

He further said the country had made progress in some areas during second UPR cycle, especially while achieving millennium development goals.

WHAT IS UPR

The UPR is a unique process which involves a periodic review of the human rights records of all 193 UN member states. It is a significant innovation of the Human Rights Council which is based on equal treatment for all countries, according to Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

It provides an opportunity for all states to declare what actions they have taken to improve the human rights situations in their countries and to overcome challenges to the enjoyment of human rights.

During the second UPR cycle in 2012-2016, Bangladesh accepted 164 out of 196 recommendations without condition. It accepted 27 recommendations partially and rejected five others. Of the rejected recommendations, three were on repealing death sentence and two were on accepting same-sex relationship, according to the forum members.