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Politics of Vendetta and human rights violation

Badiur Rahman Forty years have passed since Bangladesh’s independence. Military rulers and political parties came to power with promises of establishing peace, progress, rule of law. But once in power they forget their commitments. `Peoples Republic of Bangladesh’ means ruled by the people, at least it is inscribed in the constitution. Unstable and chaotic politics, terrorism, corruption has hindered the progress of the country. Politics has been morally degenerated, terrorized. Bangladesh’s democracy is known as poor, imperfect and...

BDR Mutiny: Got killed but obeyed order

Shariful Islam Ayesha Begum, the widow of a slain Central Subedar Major of the BDR, finally found some consolation six months after the Pilkhana carnage in February 2009, when the authorities had recognised her husband as a martyr and assured the family of necessary assistance. She had dreamt of a decent life in a permanent shelter, like the other martyrs’ families received, for living with her children and their education without any financial constraints, but the dreams are now fading away. Her husband Nurul Islam had laid down his...

Ruling party tries to capture everything

HRDPB Report The type of democracy practised in Bangladesh is something vulgarised by the ruling party, which encourages black money and muscle power in the absence of the rule of law. ATM Shamsul Huda, the immediate past chief election commissioner, said this yesterday, adding that electoral democracy does not necessarily mean a complete democracy as every time the poll winner tries to take all. “Instead of building up institutions, they [the ruling party], in most cases, try to destroy institutions like the Election Commission and the...

Killing of a journalist couple gruesome and shocking

HRDB Report The gory killing of a journalist couple has sent shockwaves throughout the city and beyond. We are at a loss for words. One’s senses are benumbed by the sheer brutality of the incident. The loss to the kin as well as to the profession is irreparable and we can only offer our deepest condolences to the family members of the deceased couple and hope that they would be able to find courage to overcome their grief. The killings expose how dehumanized the society has become. And the matter is made doubly painful because the...

Freedom of press faces three-pronged attack

HRDB Report In view of certain developments in the last few weeks, it may seem that the three pillars of the state — the executive, the legislative and the judiciary — have joined hands in constricting the space for the fourth estate, i.e. the press. The High Court asked the information secretary to ensure that no speculative reports are aired or published about the investigations of the murders of Maasranga news editor Sagar Sarowar and his wife, senior ATN Bangla reporter Meherun Runi. The court also directed the authorities concerned...

The President’s Clemency Question

Muhammad Nurul Huda The presidential power to grant clemency has once again attracted large-scale media attention. The Daily Star editorially expressed its concern on the subject on February 28, in addition to news analysis of the issue on the same day. The seriousness of the matter can be gauged from the said analysis which says that the “exercise of the presidential power to grant clemency over the last two years has led to a perception of the misuse and abuse of such extraordinary constitutional authority.” Let us first draw...

Congenial politics most needed

HRDB Report Five persons were killed, over1,000 injured across the country in clashes between police and activists of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies on January 29 and 30, 2012. Police opened fire in Chandpur, Lakkhipur and Rajshahi killing all five persons belonging to BNP and Jamaat. Ruling party cadres also took side of the police to disrupt the demonstration elsewhere in the country. The clashes became inevitable as meetings and processions were banned following the calling of parallel programs by the...

Bangladesh Govt “increasingly intolerant” to criticism: HRW

HRDB Report The Bangladesh government has taken no significant steps to investigate and prosecute torture in custody and extra-judicial killings during 2011 and showed an increasing intolerance for criticism, says Human Rights Watch. The government also missed the chance to ensure trials that meet international standards for the country’s independence-era atrocities, observed the New York-based rights watchdog in its World Report 2012 released recently. The 676-page World Report 2012 also said found that though the number of Rapid Action...

Indian BSF indoctrinated to inhumanity

HRDB Report Not having a mobile phone, torchlight and a thousand rupees as bribe almost cost the life of a Bangladeshi who was caught on camera while being tortured by Indian border guards. Stripping him, the jawans of Border Security Force (BSF) tied his hands and legs and beat him up before dumping his unconscious body in a mustard field near Raninagar camp in Murshidabad district in the Indian state of Paschimbanga. “When I opened my eyes, I was not sure if I was alive. I rested in the mustard field for a while to pull myself...

Borders of blood

Rubana Huq Apparently they fire “criminals violating border norms”, said the BSF DG in 2010. These incidents are normal, happen all the time and the state has no serious concern about this, says the LGRD minister of the ruling party. These incidents should not be “hyped” by media, says the Indian Finance Minister, Pranab Mukherjee in India. Possibly Bangladesh is the only country where lives have lesser value tags attached to them when compared to the value of the cattle crossing the border. Possibly Bangladesh is the only country...