Make sure new HR body has teeth to try everyone

Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Khan speaks at a seminar titled 'Overcoming Disappointments of Democracy' organised jointly by The Daily Star and the Prothom Alo in Cirdap Auditorium in the capital yesterday.Photo: STAR

Amnesty International (AI) Secretary General Irene Khan yesterday called on the government to ensure that the new human rights commission has the teeth to try everyone, and to ensure fair trials for imprisoned politicians.
She also asked the government to make the police transparent, and to respect human rights.
The AI chief, a Bangladeshi national, expressed her concern at government restrictions on the media and human rights activists, and at reported curbs on websites, adding that the interim administration will lose public confidence if it does not uphold human rights.
Irene said democracy and human rights are meaningless if issues such as poverty and women's rights are not addressed, as she endorsed a citizens' charter for laying out the fundamental rights of the people for sustaining the democratic process.
She was speaking as the keynote speaker at a seminar titled 'Overcoming Disappointments of Democracy' organised jointly by The Daily Star and the Prothom Alo.
Other speakers at the seminar, economist Wahiduddin Mahmud and former attorney general AF Hasan Arif, also called for a national consensus on key issues to sustain democracy in Bangladesh.
Irene said the newly approved National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) should adopt clear principles, learn from international experiences, and apply international standards.
"The scope and reach of the commission must be expanded, it must be a strong commission," she said.
She added that no individual, group or government sector should be excluded from the ambit of NHRC, 'including the armed forces'.
She also asked the government to ensure fair trials for politicians and others arrested during its anti-corruption crackdown.
"You need people's confidence in change. If the government is saying they will create rule of law, they have to follow it as well," said Irene adding that would be both practical and principled.
On judicial and police reforms, she said separation of the judiciary from the executive branch of the government is not enough, as recruitment, security of judges, and political interference remain problems for the judicial process.
Irene also said a weak police force is the reason cited by previous government officials for bringing in the armed forces to police the state, adding, "That needs to be corrected."
Citing conversations with victims of militancy in Rajshahi, she said frequent political interference has seen the police force has sided with the powerful against the powerless, poor and the vulnerable.
Dissatisfied with cases of 'extra-judicial killings' by security forces, Irene said, "I'm not satisfied with the lower number of deaths -- it should be zero."
She asked for greater accountability of security forces to eliminate violation of human rights and political interference, adding the
police force should adopt transparency and respect for human rights, and should focus more on public service.
She said real issues of human security must be addressed otherwise human rights and democracy will be rendered meaningless.
"Too often, state security seems to trump human security," said Irene adding the people's daily concerns are not addressed enough.
She warned, "An apathetic electorate is a tyrant's dream," adding there must be an understanding that the government is the people's right bearer.
The AI head also said if the government wants change it must include civil society and other stakeholders along with politicians to debate and discuss reforms.
She hoped the government would pass the right to information legislation before it leaves office as she is deeply concerned at reported restrictions on the media and human rights activists.
She said she received reports of internet service providers being asked to name people who access 'certain websites'.
Economist Wahiduddin Mahmud told the audience that the government must hold debates with all stakeholders to create a citizens' charter in order to reduce all political uncertainty, which in turn will effectively reduce economic uncertainty.
He said there is no shortcut to achieving a sustainable democracy and it is a long process which will go beyond the tenure of the current caretaker government.
Former attorney general Hasan Arif said the rule of law must be established in order to further the prospects of democracy.
Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman and The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam also spoke.