Freedom of expression still curtailed in Bangladesh

Freedom of expression continued to be heavily curtailed by draconian laws in Bangladesh in 2021, Amnesty International said.

The rights organisation mentioned this in its 2021/22 report titled "The state of the world's human rights," released yesterday.

The report, based on the rights situation in 154 countries, also presents Amnesty's documented concerns and recommendations for governments and others, according to its website.

It said, "The authorities carried out serious human rights violations including enforced disappearances, unlawful detention, torture and extrajudicial executions."

It added that peaceful protests by opposition political parties and students were prevented and suppressed.

 "on some occasions using excessive force".

Meanwhile, indigenous people experienced scarcity of resources because of increasing deforestation and land-grabbing, and refugees and religious minorities suffered violent attacks, highlighted the report, adding that violence against women also increased during the Covid-19 pandemic.