BANGLADESH HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS TRAPPED IN A POLARISED POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT Demotix / Ibrahim © November 2013 The Observatory wishes to thank the International Organisation of the Francophonie, the Republic and Canton of Geneva, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Sigrid Rausing Trust for making the publication of this report possible. Its content is the sole responsibility of FIDH and OMCT and should in no way be interpreted as reflecting the view(s) of the supporting institutions. Directors of publication: Karim Lahidji, Gerald Staberock Author of the report: Hugo Gabbero, Jens Tinga Edition and coordination : Hugo Gabbero, Delphine Reculeau, David Knaute Design : Bruce Pleiser Imprimerie de la FIDH Dépôt légal novembre 2013 FIDH (English ed.) ISSN 2225-1804 – Fichier informatique conforme à la loi du 6 janvier 1978 (Déclaration N°330 675) 2 The Observatory BANGLADESH: Human rights defenders trapped in a polarised political environment TABLE OF CONTENTS List of acronyms .................................................................................................................... 4 Introduction ............................................................................................................................5 Executive Summary ...............................................................................................................6 I. HISTORICAL AND ECONOMIC BACKGROUND .....................................................................8 I.A/ Historical background ......................................................................................................8 I.A.1/ The independence of Bangladesh ...........................................................................8 I.A.2/ A history of political instability (1972-2007) ...............................................................8 I.A.3/ The military-backed caretaker government (2007-2008) .....................................10 I.A.4/ Constitutional reforms under Awami League (AL) Government .........................11 I.B/ Economic background ..................................................................................................12 II. LEGAL FRAMEWORK AFFECTING THE ACTIVITIES OF HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS AND JUDICIAL HARASSMENT AGAINST THEM .....................................................................14 II.A/ Freedom of expression curbed by restrictive laws applied by a biased judiciary .....................................................................................................14 II.A.1/ International standards ............................................................................................14 II.A.2/ Domestic standards .................................................................................................15 II.A.3/ The abuse of laws to harass and silence human rights defenders .....................18 II.B/ Restrictions on freedom of association: daily hindrances in the activities of human rights NGOs and political control of trade unions ....................................23 II.B.1 Human rights NGOs ....................................................................................................23 II.B.2/ Trade unions ...............................................................................................................29 III. THREATS, ATTACKS AND REPRISALS AGAINST HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS....................... 38 III.A/ Environmental defenders harassed by public and/or private actors ....................38 III.A.1/ Threats and harassment by private actors against human rights defenders denouncing illegal sand extraction ....................................................38 III.A.2/ Defamation and harassment by non-State actors against human rights defenders campaigning in favour of environmental justice and litigating against the adverse consequences of ship-breaking activities: the case of the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) ..........................40 III.A.3/ Murder of journalists Mr. Sagar Sarowar and Ms. Meherun Runi as they were covering energy-related issues .......................................................41 III.B/ Gender-based harassment against – and obstacles faced by – women human rights defenders .................................................................................41 III.C/ Anti-corruption activists particularly targeted amid widespread corruption context ........................................................................................................42 III.C.1/ Anti-corruption journalist fearing for his life after revealing the interview of a key witness in the so-called “railway-gate” scandal ...........43 III.C.2/ Imprisonment of - and ill-treatments against - a journalist fighting against the impunity of crimes against anti-corruption journalists ....................44 III.C.3/ Verbal attacks against Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) ......................................................................................................44 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................46 Recommendations ....................................................................................................................48 3 The Observatory BANGLADESH: Human rights defenders trapped in a polarised political environment LIST OF ACRONYMS AC Assistant Commissioner AL Awami League ATA Anti-Terrorism (Amendment) Act BCWS Bangladesh Centre on Workers’ Solidarity BEPZA Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority BGIWF Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation BJSD Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal BNP Bangladesh Nationalist Party BTA Bangladesh Telecommunications (Amendment) Act CCA Contempt of Court Act CCPR United Nations Human Rights Committee CEACR ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women CMLA Chief Martial Law Administrator CMM Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court DB Detective Branch of Police DC Deputy Commissioner EC Election Commission EPZ Export Processing Zone EU European Union EWWAIRA EPZ Workers Welfare Association and Industrial Relations Act FIDH International Federation for Human Rights GD General Diary ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ICESCR International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights ICT Information and Communication Technology (Amendment) Act / or International Crimes Tribunal ILO International Labour Organisation ITUC International Trade Union Confederation JI Jamaat-e-Islami MP Member of Parliament NGO AB NGO Affairs Bureau NGOs Non-Governmental Organisations OMCT World Organisation Against Torture RAB Rapid Action Battalion RMG Ready-Made Garment TI Transparency International UN United Nations WPC Workers’ Participation Committee WWA Worker Welfare Association 4 The Observatory BANGLADESH: Human rights defenders trapped in a polarised political environment INTRODUCTION Alerted by reports from various non-governmental organisations (NGOs), including their Bangladeshi member-organisation Odhikar, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) decided to send an international fact-finding mission to Bangladesh in the framework of their joint programme, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders. The objective of the mission was to investigate and analyse the political and legal environment in which human rights defenders operate in Bangladesh in order to better understand the chal- lenges and trends of repression faced by civil society, both legally and in practice. The mission also aimed at identifying and assessing the responsibility of the various actors responsible for violations of the rights to freedoms of expression, assembly and association of human rights defenders in Bangladesh. Special attention was paid to the state of freedom of association of trade unions and their leaders. The mission also aimed to identify recommendations to the Government of Bangladesh, the international community and other relevant stakeholders. The mission was composed of four representatives: Ms. Marie Guiraud, lawyer (France), Ms. Kwanravee Wangudom, lecturer at the Institute of Human Rights and Peace Studies, Mahidol University (Thailand), Mr. Jens Tinga, trade union expert (The Netherlands), and Mr. Hugo Gabbero, Observatory Programme Officer at FIDH (France). The mission took place from November 13 to 22, 2012. Requests for meetings were sent to a number of Government officials in conformity with a well-established practice of the Observatory, and notably to the Cabinet of Ms. Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister; Mr. Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Minister of Home Affairs; Barrister Shafique Ahmed, Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs; Mr. Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Minister of Labour and Employment; and Mr. Mohammad Nurunnabi Talukder, Director General, NGO Affairs Bureau. Among those authorities, only Barrister Shafique Ahmed accepted to meet with the Observatory delegation. The mission also met with the Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, repre- sentatives of a number of embassies based in Dhaka, as well as a broad range of representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), journalists, lawyers,