Annual Human Rights Report 2019 Bangladesh
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ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2019 BANGLADESH Prepared by Odhikar Date of Release: 08 February 2020 Foreword Human Rights Organisation Odhikar was established on 10 October 1994, with the efforts of some human rights activists, lawyers and academics who actively participated in the struggle against the autocratic rule of Lieutenant General Hussein Muhammad Ershad. Odhikar completed 25 years in 2019. Since its inception, Odhikar has been relentlessly struggling to protect the civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights of the people. Odhikar, as an organization of human rights defenders, has always sought to raise awareness of all human rights violations committed by the state and campaign for internationally recognized civil and political rights, to protest and prevent the state from violating human rights. Human rights violations are occurring in the country as an authoritarian government system is in place. In this situation, Odhikar has published the Annual Human Rights Report of 2019 monitoring the human rights situation of Bangladesh. This annual human rights report was prepared based on data collection, reports sent by human rights defenders associated with Odhikar from different districts of the country and information published in various media. Odhikar has been facing state repression and harassment since 2013 due to its human rights activities. Despite this, Odhikar has maintained its commitment and highlighted human rights violations through defending human rights and publishing reports. Due to the repression, control and curtailment of freedoms of speech and expression, Odhikar, too has had to practice restrain in its reporting. Odhikar expresses gratitude to all human rights defenders home and abroad, like- minded organisations and well-wishers who have cooperated with and expressed solidarity next to Odhikar. Their cooperation and solidarity has strengthened the struggle of Odhikar against human rights abuses. To see the previous human rights reports of Odhikar, please visit www.odhikar.org; Facebook: Odhikar.HumanRights; Twitter: odhikar_bd 2 Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 5 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 9 A. Constitutional and State Institutions ................................................................................................ 10 Electoral system and Election Commission ...................................................................................... 10 Corruption and the Anti Corruption Commission ............................................................................. 12 National Human Rights Commission................................................................................................. 14 B. State Repression and Impunity ......................................................................................................... 15 Extrajudicial killings ........................................................................................................................... 15 Torture and lack of accountability of law enforcement agencies .................................................... 18 Enforced disappearances .................................................................................................................. 20 Dysfunctional criminal justice system and human rights abuses in prisons ..................................... 24 Death penalty and human rights ...................................................................................................... 25 Public lynching .................................................................................................................................. 27 C. Criminalisation of Politics, Political Suppression and Hindrance to Freedom of Assembly ............. 28 Repression on opposition parties and dissidents and attacks and hindrance to freedom of assembly ........................................................................................................................................... 32 Seeking of political asylum abroad ................................................................................................... 37 D. Freedom of Expression and Interference on Media and Repressive Laws ...................................... 38 Persecution on dissenters ................................................................................................................. 38 Freedom of the media ...................................................................................................................... 39 Imposition of the repressive Digital Security Act 2018 and section 57 of the ICT Act, 2006 (amended 2009 & 2013) ................................................................................................................... 41 E. Bangladesh and its Neighbouring States........................................................................................... 42 Human rights violations at the Bangladesh-India border by Indian BSF .......................................... 42 India’s interference on Bangladesh .................................................................................................. 45 Acts of genocide against Rohingya population in Myanmar ............................................................ 48 F. Labour Rights ..................................................................................................................................... 50 3 Situation of RMG factory workers .................................................................................................... 50 Situation of jute mill workers ............................................................................................................ 52 Fire at auto spinning mill .................................................................................................................. 53 Condition of construction workers ................................................................................................... 53 Condition of migrant workers ........................................................................................................... 53 G. Violence against Women .................................................................................................................. 54 Rape .................................................................................................................................................. 55 Sexual harassment ............................................................................................................................ 57 Dowry related violence ..................................................................................................................... 59 Acid violence ..................................................................................................................................... 60 H. Human Rights Violations in Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minority Communities ....................... 61 I. Hindrance to Human Rights Activities ............................................................................................... 63 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................ 64 Appendix: .............................................................................................................................................. 67 Statistics on Human Rights Violations between 2009 and 2019 .......................................................... 67 4 Executive Summary 1. The human rights situation in Bangladesh was quite alarming in 2019. Odhikar’s Annual Human Rights Report 2019 highlights such issues as the destruction of democracy and violations of rights to freedom of speech and expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and association, and of depriving people of their right to life. After assuming power in 2009, the Awami League government has consistently transformed various important government and autonomous institutions into subservient institutions through politicization. Subsequently, after the Awami League took power through controversial and farcical elections in 20141 and 2018, incidents of human rights violations, politicization, criminalization and corruption became rampant. Thus, the government now implements its political agenda through various state institutions, including the Election Commission, the Anti-Corruption Commission, and the National Human Rights Commission. 2. The government used the Election Commission to hold the 11th Parliamentary elections on 30 December 20182 in the same manner as it had used the Commission to win the 10th Parliamentary elections in 2014. People are now wary of elections, resulting in the complete destruction of Bangladesh’s electoral system after the 2014 and 2018 elections. Voters even boycotted local government elections including Upazila elections held in 2019. As a result, most of the polling centres were found to be empty.3 3. The trend of corruption in Bangladesh in 2019 remains the same as in previous years. The Awami League government, which has been in power for 11 years, attempts to impress upon the public that there is widespread development in the country. There were allegations of widespread looting in the name of development, illegal trade, tender-bids,