DOCSLIB.ORG

Annual Human Rights Report 2011

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Annual Human Rights Report 2011 Human Rights Report 2011 HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2011 Odhikar Report on Bangladesh January 07, 2012 Page | 1 Human Rights Report 2011 Table of Contents INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................................... 6 CHAPTER I: CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS ............................................................................................. 11 Freedom of thought and speech: Media .......................................................................................... 11 Freedom of Assembly ....................................................................................................................... 16 Right to Information ......................................................................................................................... 19 Human rights defenders at risk ........................................................................................................ 19 Ethnic & Religious Discriminations ................................................................................................... 20 Ethnic Minorities .......................................................................................................................... 20 Religious Minorities .....................................................................................................................23 Fair Trial ............................................................................................................................................ 25 ‘Politically motivated’ cases ......................................................................................................... 25 President’s clemency for persons accused of murder ................................................................. 26 Protecting ‘party’ criminals .......................................................................................................... 27 Autopsy Discrepancies .................................................................................................................29 BDR Mutiny Trial Verdict ............................................................................................................. 30 Anti‐Terrorism Act, 2009 .................................................................................................................. 32 Local Government and Elections – The Gateway to Democracy ...................................................... 34 Parliamentary By‐elections ............................................................................................................... 35 Municipality Elections ....................................................................................................................... 36 Rajshahi‐Rangpur Division ............................................................................................................ 37 Khulna‐Barisal Division ................................................................................................................. 37 Dhaka Division .............................................................................................................................. 38 Chittagong‐Sylhet Division ........................................................................................................... 38 Union Parishad Elections .................................................................................................................. 40 Page | 2 Human Rights Report 2011 Narayanganj City Corporation Election ............................................................................................ 41 Appointment of Local Government Administrator .......................................................................... 43 Zila Parishad ................................................................................................................................. 44 Dhaka City Corporation (DCC): ..................................................................................................... 44 CHAPTER II: VIOLENCE BY POLITICAL PARTIES .................................................................... 46 Political Violence .............................................................................................................................. 46 Hartal (General Strike) ...................................................................................................................... 51 Section 144 of the Code Criminal Procedure ................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER III: RIGHT TO LIFE ................................................................................................................... 58 Extra judicial killings ......................................................................................................................... 58 Crossfire/encounter/gun fight: ......................................................................................................... 62 Death due to Torture ........................................................................................................................ 65 Shooting ............................................................................................................................................ 67 Identities of the deceased ................................................................................................................ 67 Custodial death ................................................................................................................................. 68 Custodial death of Supreme Court Advocate Momtaz Uddin Ahmed ............................................. 70 Public Lynching ................................................................................................................................. 70 Death penalty ................................................................................................................................... 73 Enforced Disappearances ................................................................................................................. 75 CHAPTER IV: TORTURE & OTHER CRUEL, INHUMAN AND DEGRADING TREATMENT .......................... 79 Torture .............................................................................................................................................. 79 RAB shooting of Limon Hossain ........................................................................................................ 84 RAB harasses father for filing a case ................................................................................................ 86 Prison Conditions .............................................................................................................................. 87 CHAPTER V: BANGLADESH –INDIA RELATIONS .................................................................................... 90 State of affairs between Bangladesh‐India ...................................................................................... 90 Page | 3 Human Rights Report 2011 Bangladesh‐India joint land survey .................................................................................................. 95 Tin Bigha Corridor ............................................................................................................................. 96 Tipaimukh Dam ................................................................................................................................. 96 Bangladesh‐India collaboration of repression .................................................................................. 98 CHAPTER VI: LIVELIHOOD RIGHTS ....................................................................................................... 100 Workers’ Rights .............................................................................................................................. 100 Safety of ready‐made garment factories ........................................................................................ 102 Ready‐made garments factory workers ......................................................................................... 102 Cases filed against the Trade Union Leaders .................................................................................. 104 CHAPTER VII: MIGRANT WORKER’S RIGHTS ....................................................................................... 105 Patterns and Trends ....................................................................................................................... 105 Remittances .................................................................................................................................... 105 Libyan Issue .................................................................................................................................... 105 Redress of Complaints .................................................................................................................... 106 Beheading of Workers in Saudi Arabia ........................................................................................... 107 CHAPTER VIII: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ....................................................................................... 109 Domestic Violence .......................................................................................................................... 109 Sexual harassment and stalking ....................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • UNDER-SERVED and OVER-LOOKED Prioritizing Contraceptive Equity for the Poorest and Most Marginalized Women and Girls WHO WE ARE
    UNDER-SERVED AND OVER-LOOKED Prioritizing contraceptive equity for the poorest and most marginalized women and girls WHO WE ARE The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) is a global service provider and a leading advocate of sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. We are a worldwide movement of national organizations working with and for communities and individuals. IPPF works towards a world where women, men and young people everywhere have control over their own bodies, and therefore their destinies. A world where they are free to choose parenthood or not; free to decide how many children they will have and when; free to pursue healthy sexual lives without fear of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. A world where gender or sexuality are no longer a source of inequality or stigma. We will not retreat from doing everything we can to safeguard these important choices and rights for current and future generations. Cover Photo – IPPF/Peter Caton/Nepal UNDER-SERVED AND OVER-LOOKED 2017 CONTENTS Foreword 4 Introduction 6 Who are the women and girls being left behind? 7 The Global Gag Rule 8 Women and girls are being left behind 11 Section 1 – meet the women and girls who have been consistently left behind 14 Young people and adolescents 14 Hard to reach 16 Women and girls in the lowest income quintile 18 Women impacted by disability, gender-based violence, hiv status, and men and women who sell sex 19 Section 2 – creating change: evidence-based interventions for equitable access to
    [Show full text]
  • Media Analysis Report: Nutrition and Health Issues in the Media
    Media Analysis Report: Nutrition and Health Issues in the Media April 2014 Conducted by Supported by This report is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Health, Infectious Diseases, and Nutrition, Bureau for Global Health, and USAID/Bangladesh under terms of Cooperative Agreement No. AID-OAA-A-12-00005, through the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance III (FANTA) Project, managed by FHI 360. The contents are the responsibility of FHI 360 and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government. Contents Background ............................................................................................................................................. 1 Objective of the Media Analysis .............................................................................................................. 1 Methodology ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Results of Print Media Monitoring ........................................................................................................... 4 Results of Broadcast Media Monitoring ................................................................................................ 10 Comparative Analysis of Baseline and Follow-Up Media Monitoring ................................................... 14 Conclusions and Recommendations ...................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Esdo Profile 2021
    ECO-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (ESDO) ESDO PROFILE 2021 Head Office Address: Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO) Collegepara (Gobindanagar), Thakurgaon-5100, Thakurgaon, Bangladesh Phone:+88-0561-52149, +88-0561-61614 Fax: +88-0561-61599 Mobile: +88-01714-063360, +88-01713-149350 E-mail:[email protected], [email protected] Web: www.esdo.net.bd Dhaka Office: ESDO House House # 748, Road No: 08, Baitul Aman Housing Society, Adabar,Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh Phone: +88-02-58154857, Mobile: +88-01713149259, Email: [email protected] Web: www.esdo.net.bd 1 ECO-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (ESDO) 1. BACKGROUND Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO) has started its journey in 1988 with a noble vision to stand in solidarity with the poor and marginalized people. Being a peoples' centered organization, we envisioned for a society which will be free from inequality and injustice, a society where no child will cry from hunger and no life will be ruined by poverty. Over the last thirty years of relentless efforts to make this happen, we have embraced new grounds and opened up new horizons to facilitate the disadvantaged and vulnerable people to bring meaningful and lasting changes in their lives. During this long span, we have adapted with the changing situation and provided the most time-bound effective services especially to the poor and disadvantaged people. Taking into account the government development policies, we are currently implementing a considerable number of projects and programs including micro-finance program through a community focused and people centered approach to accomplish government’s development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN as a whole.
    [Show full text]
  • Esdo Profile
    ECO-SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION (ESDO) ESDO PROFILE Head Office Address: Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO) Collegepara (Gobindanagar), Thakurgaon-5100, Thakurgaon, Bangladesh Phone:+88-0561-52149, +88-0561-61614 Fax: +88-0561-61599 Mobile: +88-01714-063360, +88-01713-149350 E-mail:[email protected], [email protected] Web: www.esdo.net.bd Dhaka Office: ESDO House House # 748, Road No: 08, Baitul Aman Housing Society, Adabar,Dhaka-1207, Bangladesh Phone: +88-02-58154857, Mobile: +88-01713149259, Email: [email protected] Web: www.esdo.net.bd 1 Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO) 1. Background Eco-Social Development Organization (ESDO) has started its journey in 1988 with a noble vision to stand in solidarity with the poor and marginalized people. Being a peoples' centered organization, we envisioned for a society which will be free from inequality and injustice, a society where no child will cry from hunger and no life will be ruined by poverty. Over the last thirty years of relentless efforts to make this happen, we have embraced new grounds and opened up new horizons to facilitate the disadvantaged and vulnerable people to bring meaningful and lasting changes in their lives. During this long span, we have adapted with the changing situation and provided the most time-bound effective services especially to the poor and disadvantaged people. Taking into account the government development policies, we are currently implementing a considerable number of projects and programs including micro-finance program through a community focused and people centered approach to accomplish government’s development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN as a whole.
    [Show full text]
  • Cropping Patterns in Mymensingh Region: Diversity, Constraint and Potential
    Bangladesh Rice J. 21 (2) : 217-235, 2017 Cropping Patterns in Mymensingh Region: Diversity, Constraint and Potential A Khatun1*, N Parvin1, M M R Dewan2 and A Saha1 ABSTRACT A consistent and comprehensive database on cropping pattern, cropping intensity and crop diversity of a particular area is the prime importance for guiding policy makers, researchers, extentionists and development agencies for the future research and development planning. The study was carried out all the upazilas of Mymensingh region during 2015-16 using pre-designed and pre-tested semi- structured questionnaire with a view to document the existing cropping pattern, crop diversity and cropping intensity. The most dominant cropping pattern Boro−Fallow−T. Aman occupied about one- half of net cropped area (NCA) of the region distributed to 46 out of 47 upazilas. Single Boro cropping pattern ranked the second position which covered 23% of NCA distributed in 45 upazilas. A total of 129 cropping patterns were identified in the whole area of Mymensingh region under this investigation. The highest number of (30) cropping patterns were identified in Pakundia upazila of Kishoreganj and the lowest was (10) in Sreebardi of Sherpur. The lowest crop diversity index (CDI) was reported (0.111) in Mithamoin of Kishoreganj followed by 0.114 at Khaliajuri in Netrokona. The highest value of CDI was observed 0.933 at Dewanganj in Jamalpur followed by 0.920 at Bhairab in Kishoreganj. The range of cropping intensity values was recorded 101-249%. The maximum value was for Hossainpur and minimum for Itna and Mithamoin in Kishoreganj. At a glance the calculated CDI of Mymensingh region was 0.840 and the average cropping intensity was 187%.
    [Show full text]
  • “Crossfire:” Continued Human Rights Abuses by Bangladesh's Rapid
    Bangladesh HUMAN “Crossfire” RIGHTS Continued Human Rights Abuses by Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion WATCH “Crossfire” Continued Human Rights Abuses by Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion Copyright © 2011 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-767-1 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 64-66 Rue de Lausanne 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] 2-12 Pentonville Road, 2nd Floor London N1 9HF, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org May 2011 ISBN 1-56432-767-1 “Crossfire” Continued Human Rights Abuses by Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion Map of Bangladesh ........................................................................................................................... ii Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 1 Key Recommendations: .............................................................................................................. 9 Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 11 I. Killings and Other Cases of Abuse by RAB Since the Awami League Government Came to Power in 2009 .................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights in Bangladesh: Stresses on the Period of 2009 to 2012
    Munich Personal RePEc Archive Human Rights in Bangladesh: Stresses on the Period of 2009 to 2012 Mohajan, Haradhan KASBIT Business Journal 8 February 2013 Online at https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/53525/ MPRA Paper No. 53525, posted 10 Feb 2014 00:21 UTC KASBIT Business Journal, 6:38-64(2013) http://ideas.repec.org/s/ksb/journl.html Human Rights in Bangladesh: Stresses on the Period of 2009 to 2012 Haradhan Kumar Mohajan ABSTRACT This paper is about human rights in Bangladesh and stresses on the period of 2009 to 2012. Bangladesh is a Parliamentary Democratic and densely populated country in South Asia. Human rights are parts and parcel in a democratic country. In a country if human rights are violated then the country cannot be developed and the democracy of that country becomes weak. Human rights are violated in every country of the world. But extrajudicial killings like crossfire and death in custody, abduction, child labor, violence of workers’ rights, violence of women rights, women and children trafficking, public lynching, death penalty and discriminations on religion minorities and indigenous people are alarming in Bangladesh. This paper also discusses civil and political rights, social and economic rights and violation of these rights in Bangladesh. JEL. Classification: E24, J24, O15. Keywords: Crossfire, Death Penalty, Democracy, Extra judicial Killings, Human rights. 1. INTRODUCTION 1. 1 Background Bangladesh is a Parliamentary Democratic country with broad powers exercised by the Prime Minister situated in the South Asia, with 300 directly elected Members of Parliament. In 1971 it became independent from Pakistan. From 1974 to 1990 it was under military rule and in 1991 it transits to peaceful democracy.
    [Show full text]
  • BARGUNA District: AMTALI Upazila/Thana: Slno Eiin Name Of
    Upazila/Thana Wise list of Institutes District: BARGUNA Upazila/Thana: AMTALI Slno Eiin Name of the Institution Vil/Road Mobile 1 134886 SOUTH BENGAL IDEAL SCHOOL AND COLLEGE AMTALI 01734041282 2 100022 MAFIZ UDDIN GIRLS PILOT HIGH SCHOOL UPZILA ROAD 01718101316 3 138056 PURBO CHAWRA GOVT. PRIMARY SCHOOL PATAKATA 01714828397 4 100051 UTTAR TIAKHALI JUNIOR GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL UTTAR TIAKHALI 01736712503 5 100016 CHARAKGACHIA SECONDARY SCHOOL CHARAKGACHIA 01734083480 6 100046 KHAGDON JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL KHAGDON 01725966348 7 100028 SHAHEED SOHRAWARDI SECONDARY SCHOOL KUKUA 01719765468 8 100044 GHATKHALI HIGH SCHOOL GHATKHALI 01748265596 9 100038 KALAGACHIA YUNUS A K JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL KALAGACHIA 01757959215 10 100042 K H AKOTA JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL KALAGACHHIA 01735437438 11 100039 HALIMA KHATUN G R GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL GULISHAMALI 01721789762 12 100034 KHEKUANI HIGH SCHOOL KHEKUANI 01737227025 13 100023 GOZ-KHALI(MLT) HIGH SCHOOL GOZKHALI 01720485877 14 100037 ATHARAGACHIA SECONDARY SCHOOL ATHARAGACHIA 01712343508 15 100017 EAST CHILA RAHMANIA HIGH SCHOOL PURBA CHILA 01716203073,011 90276935 16 100009 LOCHA JUUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL LOCHA 01553487462 17 100048 MODDHO CHANDRA JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL MODDHO CHANDRA 01748247502 18 100020 CHALAVANGA HIGH SCHOOL PRO CHALAVANGA 01726175459 19 100011 AMTALI A.K. PILOT HIGH SCHOOL 437, A K SCHOOL ROAD, AMTALI 01716296310 20 100026 ARPAN GASHIA HIGH SCHOOL ARPAN GASHIA 01724183205 21 100018 TARIKATA SECONDARY SCHOOL TARIKATA 01714588243 22 100014 SHAKHRIA HIGH SCHOOL SHAKHARIA 01712040882 23 100021 CHUNAKHALI HIGH
    [Show full text]
  • An Evaluation of 'E-Nothi' System in Government Office Management
    An Evaluation of ‘e-Nothi’ System in Government Office Management February 2019 Prepared By Project Management Team 1 Table of Contents I. List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 3 II. List of Tables........................................................................................................................................... 3 III. Acronyms ............................................................................................................................................... 3 IV. Acknowledgement ................................................................................................................................ 4 V. Executive Summary .............................................................................................................................. 5 1.1 Introduction and Background ............................................................................................................. 6 1.2 Literature Review ................................................................................................................................. 8 1.3 Rationale of the Study ......................................................................................................................... 9 1.4 Objectives of the Study ....................................................................................................................... 9 1.5 Methodology of the Study ..................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Press Freedom Dynamics in Bangladesh
    Chapter 7 Press Freedom Dynamics in Bangladesh Amina Khatun, Janina Islam Abir, Mofizur Rhaman & Md. Golam Rahman This chapter explores the state of freedom of expression and press freedom in Bangla- desh and how religion, in particular, influences these issues. More specifically, through content analyses of some selected newspapers and in-depth interviews with journal- ists, experts and civil society representatives, this chapter reveals the barriers to press freedom and how the politics of religion is related to press freedom and freedom of expression in the country. Past political situations, especially military rule and the struggle for democracy, have created an unstable situation for the press in Bangladesh. Moreover, religious extremism, intolerance and politics of religion jeopardize the socio-political situa- tion of the country time and again. The period from February to March 2013 was particularly decisive as the people at this time became sharply divided on the issue of International War Crimes Tribunal1 and its first verdict in the case of Abdul Quader Mollah2. Millions of people gathered at Shahbug Square3 for more than two months and stayed there day and night, chanting slogans in favour of justice for war heroes and ensuring capital punishment for war criminals. People from all walks of lives, mainstream media as well as social media, became part of the movement. There was, of course, a section of people and media who played a more subtle role and spoke out against this movement, and the media soon became a battlefield where the war was fought by different stakeholders – proponents as well as opponents of the International War Crimes Tribunal.
    [Show full text]
  • Interaction Between Journos Imperative, Says Indian Press Council Chair Staff Correspondent
    Interaction between journos imperative, says Indian Press Council chair Staff Correspondent Members of a visiting team of the Press Council of India exchange views with senior journalists of media outlets of the East West Media Group Ltd at its conference room in the city on Wednesday.- sun photo Interaction and cooperation between journalists of India and Bangladesh are needed to overcome common professional barriers, threats and challenges, said Press Council of India Chairman Justice Chandramauli Kumar Prasad. Media coverage in a conflict zone has become a great challenge for journalists, he stated. “Journalism is going to be a risky profession in the subcontinent as they have to face different kinds of threats and challenges.” The media crew of both the friendly countries should unitedly challenge the menaces confronting them in professional duties, Justice Prasad said. The observations were made during a view-exchange meeting of a delegation of the Press Council of India with editors and senior journalists of East-West Media Group Ltd on Wednesday. The event was held in the EWMGL conference room at Bashundhara Residential Area. The visiting team of journalists, mostly editors from prominent Indian newspapers, also made a tour of the EWMGL media outlets. The visitors got fully apprised of the state of the mass media in Bangladesh. Speaking on the occasion, the Press Council chair underscored the need for more interaction and communications between the journalists of two countries. Journalists from both sides also echoed Justice Prasad’s views on the matter and voiced concern over the mounting threat of terrorism, militancy and conspiracies against their respective countries.
    [Show full text]
  • Factors That Push Bangladeshi Media to Exercise Self-Censorship
    University of Wisconsin Milwaukee UWM Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations August 2020 Factors That Push Bangladeshi Media to Exercise Self-Censorship Abu Taib Ahmed University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uwm.edu/etd Part of the Journalism Studies Commons Recommended Citation Ahmed, Abu Taib, "Factors That Push Bangladeshi Media to Exercise Self-Censorship" (2020). Theses and Dissertations. 2445. https://dc.uwm.edu/etd/2445 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by UWM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UWM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FACTORS THAT PUSH BANGLADESHI MEDIA TO EXERCISE SELF-CENSORSHIP by Abu Taib Ahmed A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Masters of Arts in Media Studies at The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee August 2020 ABSTRACT FACTORS THAT PUSH BANGLADESHI MEDIA TO EXERCISE SELF-CENSORSHIP by Abu Taib Ahmed The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2020 Under the Supervision of Professor David S. Allen Self-censorship is one of the biggest threats to press freedom. Press freedom, as well as freedom of the expression, is an indicator of a society’s freedom and democracy. If the media cannot act freely, it can impact society’s ability to function as a democracy. Journalists often face pressures from various power structures to engage in self-censorship. While journalistic self- censorship has been examined in a number of different countries, no studies of journalistic self- censorship in Bangladesh have been undertaken or no studies have been undertaken to see what factors influence journalists to exercise self-censorship or to figure out reasons that make journalists in Bangladesh filter media content.
    [Show full text]