Human rights dishonoured

We find it shocking and ironic that on International Human Rights Day yesterday, this paper has reported a total of the 154 incidents of enforced disappearances. According to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) document cited on the report, the commission is waiting for the probe reports on 154 incidents, which include 32 cases of custodial torture or death, 25 enforced disappearances and 12 extrajudicial killings as well as a number of incidents of harassment of civilians by law enforcers.  

The Ain o Salish Kendra found that in 13 years since 2004, more than 1,900 people have become victims of extrajudicial killings involving police, RAB and joint forces. Reports of enforced disappearances are continually on the rise and the state continues to adopt a nonchalant stand in its response to the multiple inquiries sent by the NHRC. Of the 154 letters dispatched asking for probe reports, four were sent in 2012, 10 in 2013, 51 in 2014, 73 in 2015 and 16 in 2016. 

In a democracy, the state has a responsibility to ensure that the law enforcement response does not violate human rights. Enforced disappearances are prohibited under both international human rights law and international humanitarian law. As such, prompt, impartial, and independent investigations must be immediately ordered to probe into these cases and solve them. In addition, law enforcement agencies should be made accountable and answerable to the NHRC. 

The number of disappearances reported is staggering. In a democracy where ideally the state is a hundred percent accountable to its people, human rights must be honoured and there should be no room for such incidents.