Half-yearly Human Rights Monitoring Report January - June 2018 Date of Release: 1 July 2018 1 Foreword Odhikar has been monitoring the human rights situation in Bangladesh in order to promote and protect civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of Bangladeshi citizens and to report on violations and defend the victims since 1994. Odhikar does not believe that the human rights movement merely endeavours to protect the „individual‟ from violations perpetrated by the state; rather, it believes that the movement to establish the rights and dignity of every individual is part of the struggle to constitute Bangladesh as a democratic state. Odhikar has always been consistent in creating mass awareness of human rights issues using several means, including reporting violations perpetrated by the State and advocacy and campaign to ensure internationally recognised civil and political rights of citizens. The Organisation unconditionally stands by the victims of oppression and maintains no prejudice with regard to political leanings or ideological orientation, race, religion or sex. Odhikar has been facing extreme repression and harassment by the incumbent government while working on human rights since 2013. Despite facing persecution, harassment and threats to its existence, the Organisation has prepared monthly human rights monitoring reports based on information gathered by grassroots human rights defenders associated with Odhikar and also collected from the national dailies. This report is a brief analysis of the Odhikar‟s monthly reports published in the first six months of 2018. Although many incidents of human rights violations occur every month, only a few significant incidents have been highlighted in this report. 2 Contents Statistics of Human Rights Violations: January-June 2018 ............................................................. 4 Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 5 Main Report .................................................................................................................................... 9 A. State Repression and Impunity ................................................................................................... 9 Extrajudicial killings ..................................................................................................................... 9 Enforced disappearances .......................................................................................................... 10 Torture and lack of accountability of law enforcement agencies ............................................. 13 Prison conditions ....................................................................................................................... 14 Political repression and hindrance to freedom of assembly ..................................................... 15 Criminalisation of ruling party .................................................................................................. 18 B. Public Lynching ......................................................................................................................... 20 C. ‘Extremism’ and Human Rights ................................................................................................. 20 D. Dysfunctional State Institutions ............................................................................................... 21 Anti Corruption Commission ..................................................................................................... 21 Election Commission .................................................................................................................. 23 Local government and by-elections .......................................................................................... 24 Khulna and Gazipur City Corporation elections ........................................................................ 24 E. Freedom of Expression and Freedom of the Media ................................................................. 28 Repressive laws ......................................................................................................................... 28 Freedom of the media ............................................................................................................... 29 F. Workers’ Rights ......................................................................................................................... 31 Situation of workers in the formal sector .................................................................................. 31 Situation of workers in the informal sector ............................................................................... 32 Situation of women migrant workers ....................................................................................... 32 G. Relation with Neighbouring Countries: India and Myanmar ................................................... 33 Aggressive policy of India towards Bangladesh ........................................................................ 33 Acts of genocide against Rohingyas in Myanmar ..................................................................... 35 H. Violence against Women .......................................................................................................... 38 I. Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2017 promotes child marriage ................................................... 40 J. Hindrance to human rights activities of Odhikar ...................................................................... 40 K. Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 42 3 Statistics of Human Rights Violations: January-June 2018 Statistics: January-June 2018* Type of Human Rights Violation January February March April May June Total Crossfire 18 6 17 28 149 50 268 Extrajudici Shot to death 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 al killings Torture to death 0 0 1 1 2 0 4 Total 19 7 18 29 151 50 274 Enforced Disappearances 6 1 5 2 1 1 16 Death in Jail 6 5 9 7 8 5 40 Bangladeshis Killed 2 1 0 0 0 0 3 Human Bangladeshis 3 5 1 2 0 1 12 rights Injured violations Bangladeshis by Indian 2 0 0 3 4 0 9 BSF Abducted Total 7 6 1 5 4 1 24 Injured 12 6 1 2 3 1 25 Attack on Assaulted 1 3 3 0 0 0 7 journalists Threatened 2 1 3 0 1 1 8 Total 15 10 7 2 4 2 40 Political Killed 9 5 9 11 13 2 49 violence Injured 619 424 335 428 297 153 2256 Dowry related violence against 12 16 15 21 11 6 81 women Rape 46 78 67 69 58 45 363 Sexual harassment /Stalking of 15 14 25 24 19 5 102 females Acid violence 2 1 3 4 2 0 12 Public lynching 5 6 8 2 5 2 28 RMG Killed 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 workers Injured 20 0 40 0 35 27 122 Situation of workers Workers Killed 9 11 7 8 18 7 60 in other sectors Injured 8 4 0 3 4 3 22 Arrest under Information and Communication Technology Act 2 1 0 0 3 0 6 2006 (amended 2009 and 2013)** *Odhikar's documentation ** The cases of arrests under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act that are documented are those where the presentations/statements in question are considered critical against high officials of the government and their families. 4 Executive Summary 1. The human rights situation of the first six months of 2018 has been analyzed through this report. The said report contains issues relating to right to freedom of expression, deprivation of right to life and personal liberty and infringement of democracy. The human rights situation of the country was found to be deteriorating alarmingly in the last six months due to the aggressive attitude and repressive acts of the government. The Awami League led Alliance government remains in power since 2009, thus the human rights violations of 2018 are a continuation of the trend that commenced in 2009. After assuming power Awami League was involved in massive human rights violations and is continuously doing so. In the last 10 years the incumbent government has politicized various important government and independent institutions and made them subservient to it. The government unilaterally removed the Caretaker Government system in 2011, ignoring protests from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), civil society and other political parties, without any referendum, through the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, which created a deep political crisis. Almost all political parties, including BNP (except Awami League and its alliance) boycotted elections in protest of the removal of the caretaker government system. As a result, the Awami League reassumed power for a second term through controversial and farcical Parliamentary Elections1 on 5 January 2014 and it has created a fearful environment in the country by severely violating civil and political rights of the citizens. During the tenure of the present government, many people, including leaders and activists of opposition political parties and dissenting voices became victims of persecution, enforced disappearance, torture, extrajudicial killing and kneecapping. Furthermore, rights to freedom of opinion and expression; and assembly and association were violated and several repressive laws were enacted and amended by the government during its reign. In the first six months of the current year, the government was involved in massive extrajudicial killings on the pretext of „anti- 1 The Caretaker Government system was incorporated in the Constitution through the 13th amendment to the Constitution,