2021 was wrapped in a veil of fear: ASK
Rights body Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) today said the human rights situation of Bangladesh in the year of 2021 was near to "out of tolerance level".
The organisation said, the situation was like barbarism and the whole county was wrapped in a veil of fear in the year.
"The society was in a feared situation for the absence of rule of law, death in the name of shootout, abduction, enforced disappearance, rape and gang rape and so on," said Secretary General of ASK Md Nur Khan said in a press conference.
He said the rights activists, journalists, teachers, women rights activists, opposition party, critics and lawyers were in an unfavorable situation in the whole year.
ASK organised the press conference to release their annual report, based on media reports, on the human rights situation.
According to the report, at least 80 people died in extra judicial killings including 51 in so-called shootouts or crossfires with the law enforcer agencies.
In the previous year, the number was at least 188.
At least eight people were killed in law enforcers' custody. Of them, six died after they were tortured to death by them, one died before the arrest and another in the heart attack, said the report.
Besides, at least 81 people died in the jail. Of them, 29 were prisoners and 52 were in-mates.
ASK data showed, at least seven were victims of enforced disappearance or abduction in 2021. Of them, six were later arrested while one is still missing.
The missing person, Imam Mahadi Hasan Dollar, from Mymensingh's Fulbaria was detained by a group of people with two motorcycles and a microbus.
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Rape and violence against women were declined since the previous year but still in a concerning issue for the country in 2021.
The report mentioned that at least 1,321 women were raped or gang raped across the country, of them 47 were killed after rape and nine died by suicide.
In 2020, the number of raped or gang raped were 1,627 and 1,413 were victims of such incidents in 2019.
At least 128 women were sexually assaulted last year and 12 of them died by suicide. At least 77 males were killed while protesting the incidents.
Besides, 640 women faced domestic violence and of them 210 were faced for not paying the dowry. Of them, 372 were killed and 142 were committed suicide.
ABUSE AND KILLING OF CHILDREN
ASK termed the abuse of children as disappointing as the report said, a total of 596 children were killed while 1,426 were rape victims or sexually assaulted.
The number of children killing was 589 in 2020.
RIGHTS SITUATION OF MINORITIES
The rights situation of minorities in 2021 was "very worrying", according to the report.
It said, the major festival of Hindu community Durgapuja was attacked, vandalized, torched and looted in Cumilla, Chandpur, Feni, Noakhali, Laxmipur, Chattogram and Bandarban.
"At least 204 idols, mandaps or temples were attacked and 184 households, 50 business establishments were vandalized and looted in this year," the report said.
FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION
The freedom of expression has been curtailed and repression increased during the pandemic, ASK said in its report.
At least 210 journalists faced harassment including the cases filed under the Digital Security Act.
Prothom Alo journalist Rozina Islam was detained in the secretariat for her reports on the irregularities and corruption in health sector, reads the ASK report.
HEALTH SITUATION
The report said public suffering was a regular scenario in the pandemic with the infection rate and death tolls in Delta variant.
"The hospitals of different districts were unequipped with enough ICUs and oxygen supply," the report said.
It observed that the vaccination drive was not conducted well as the health ministry planned to vaccinate 80 percent of total population while the current scenario of vaccination of double douses with only 28 percent.
BORDER KILLINGS
At least 18 Bangladeshi citizens have been killed along the India-Bangladesh border with 16 of them by Indian Border Security Force in 2021.
The rights body said at least 49 were killed in 2020, 43 in 2019 and 15 people were killed in 2018.
At the programme, ASK assistant coordinator Anirban Saha presented a 10-point recommendation including reiterated its demand to form an independent inquiry committee for impartial investigation into extra judicial killings, deaths in custody, incidents of enforced disappearance.
ASK Executive Director Golam Monowar Kamal, Director Nina Goswami, Senior coordinator Abu Ahmed Faizul Kabir also joined in the press conference.
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