Odhikar for upholding media rights

Rights group Odhikar in a monitoring report yesterday demanded that the government lift the state of emergency and uphold the rights of the media.
The report says 162 people have been allegedly killed by the law enforcement agencies since the present caretaker government took office while significant pressure on the media has led to their self-censorship.
The Odhikar report on human rights situation was prepared on completion of the caretaker government's 300 days in office.
"Even during a state of emergency, some rights can never be suspended," said the report that also touched on issues of eviction drives, neutrality of the Election Commission, arrest of university teachers and workers' unrest.
The report signed by Odhikar Acting Director ASM Nasiruddin Elan also demanded release of the detained teachers and students of Dhaka University.
The Odhikar report said of the 162 people "killed" by law enforcers, the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) killed 81 people, police killed 57, Rab and police together killed three, the joint forces killed seven, the army killed seven, the navy killed three, and the jail police, Department of Narcotics Control personnel, the coast guard and Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) killed one person each.