The Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) is deeply concerned about the Bangladesh government’s refusal to address serious human rights violations, including enforced disappearances, torture, executions and impunity by law enforcement agencies, as well as gender-based violence and the rights of LGBTIQ people.
During the 55th session of the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council on Monday, FIDH issued a statement demanding a Universal Periodic Review (UPR) on Bangladesh. It called on UN member states to pressure governments to address chronic human rights violations.
The statement said that FIDH is deeply concerned about the grave human rights violations in Bangladesh as well as validating the concerns of many UN member states. Despite being a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, this behavior of the Bangladesh government is unacceptable. Violations of human rights and repression of civil society deserve public scrutiny. The government has again denied cases of enforced disappearance. It also refused to accept all recommendations of the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance and the Protocol to the Convention against Torture. The government also did not accept all the recommendations on the death penalty, surprisingly referring to the death penalty as a ‘legitimate form of punishment’.
On gender equality, the government has not adopted all the recommendations. The recommendation called for the criminalization of marital rape. The Bangladesh government has refused to commit to withdrawing reservations from Articles 2 and 16 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. In addition, the government has refused to accept all recommendations regarding the rights of LGBTIQ people. They consider it as ‘a religious, social, cultural, moral problem’.
The country’s national elections have turned into a mockery despite the government accepting recommendations for free, fair and transparent elections. The January 7 election was marred by the government’s crackdown on political opponents and attacks on civil society. It is also ironic that the government, while accepting recommendations to protect civil society activists, lawyers and journalists from arbitrary arrest and detention, continues to use the judiciary to silence all forms of dissent. While dissidents abroad are intimidated, human rights defenders in the country are being branded as criminals.
We call on the UN member states to ensure long-standing human rights violations, end impunity, ensure accountability, reparations and guarantees of non-repetition of human rights violations and press the Government of Bangladesh for justice for the victims.
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